The Children of the Revolution
by darkaccalia520
Summary: The crew of the seaQuest discover GELF's with a form of vampirism. AU. Season 1 cast/setting. Rated M for blood. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**2012**

With the US still fighting a war in the Middle East, more drastic tactics were taken into consideration. The US government hired a team of scientists, led by Dr. Howard O'Brien, to create new strains of viruses to be used in chemical warfare. With the economy still in a dire state, Dr. O'Brien posed an interesting idea: appeal to the indigent Americans and pay them to volunteer as test subjects for these strains of diseases and promising no long-term side effects. The first group to volunteer, citizens of the Blackwood Underwater Mining Facility, were injected with a mutated form of the flu virus, which seemed harmless enough. Test subjects were men, women, _and_children. However, this strain, known simply as pandora was named fittingly so...for it opened a pandora's box.

Once the virus became integrated with human blood, it mutated drastically once again, something that had not occurred in initial tests on lab rats. And, these mutations had side-effects that could not be cured by the antedote the scientists had created for the initial strain. It began with an aversion to sunlight, which didn't seem all that harmful. However, as the virus took over, more appalling side-effects began to show.

It began with a young girl about the age of sixteen named Gabrielle screaming in pain as the virus coursed through her body. Essentially, she was dying. But, as the scientists found there was nothing they could do to help her, they did nothing to ease her suffering in any way, even though she begged them to do so. After several days, Gabrielle's lifeless body still remained in the facility. Scientists in hazmat suits came in to dispose of it but were surprised when Gabrielle opened her eyes...and her mouth, which showed two sharp, pointed fangs where her eye teeth used to be. Since there was no precedence for these symptoms, the scientists were unsure what to make of it, but they had not time to discuss it for Gabrielle seized her opportunity, beginning with Dr. O'Brien. She struck at him with the speed and agility of a jungle cat. Dr. O'Brien was so overcome by the strength of the young girl that he hadn't time to fight back as she tore the hazmat suit open to expose his neck. She quickly bit down, draining him of his blood and effortlessly tossed his lifeless body aside as though it were a rag doll.

Then, she turned to the other scientists, blood running down the corners of her mouth, fangs bared ready to strike again. They ran from her only to find others in the facility had made the same transformation. The pandora project had met its fate and so did the other scientists; when the government learned of the disaster, it ordered the facilty to be closed. The virus and all evidence of the incident was destroyed, and it was thought that all residents of Blackwood were exterminated.

**2018**

Lieutenant Tim O'Neill said, "Captain, we have a distress call coming in."

"A distress call from where exactly?" Nathan Bridger asked.

"It appears to be from an abandoned mining facility." Tim typed a few keys on the control panel in front of him. A red dot appeared on a map in front of him. "According to this, it's coming off the coast of California. Blackwood Underwater Mining Facility."

"Blackwood?" Nathan repeated. That name sounded so familiar, though he didn't know why. "Uh, what's the situation?"

"It appears there is a small group of people trapped there," O'Neill stated.

"Let them know help is on the way," Nathan told him. "We'll organize a rescue mission." He took out his PAL and called Lucas.

"Yes?"

"Lucas, find all the information you can on the Blackwood Underwater Mining Facility; meet me in the ward room in twenty minutes."

"On it."

Twenty minutes later, Nathan and the senior staff members sat around the table in the ward room discussing the details fo the rescue mission.

Lucas shared the details of what he found about Blackwood. As he brought up pictures and information on the vid-screen, he began, "Blackwood was one of the first underwater mining facilities, started in 2011. However, with the problems with the US economy at the time, Blackwood's citizens felt the strain as well. Apparently, in 2012, the government lobbied the citizens to help with some type of top secret research. It was after this that the facility was said to be destroyed."

"That's it?" Nathan asked.

"That's all I could find," Lucas explained. "There was very little about it. Someone took great lengths to conceal whatever happened there. No one was supposed to survive."

"Well, apparently someone did. Two females and two males," Nathan stated.

"A family?" Kristin asked.

'I'm not sure," Nathan said. "But, what I do know is that these people need our help."

"If they've been down there for six years, why in the world are they just calling for help now?" Jonathan Ford wondered.

"I think they were afraid. Whatever they experienced down there, I'm sure it's more traumatic than any of us can imagine," Nathan explained. "The rescue team is as follows: Dr. Westphalen, myself, Commander Ford, and Commander Hitchcock."

"Can I go too?" Lucas asked.

Nathan shook his head. "No, Lucas, it might be dangerous."

"But I heard one of them is around my age...just a kid. Please let me go. I might be able to help," Lucas pleaded.

Nathan sighed. Lucas did have a point. If there were kids near his age down there, Lucas could be of assistance, especially knowing that the people left in Blackwood were frightened. Lucas may help them earn the crew's trust. "Alright," Nathan agreed.

"Yes," Lucas said with a smile. "Thank you, Cap."

"OK, people," Nathan said. "Let's get ready."

A short time later, a launch headed for Blackwood. Lucas talked excitedly. "I can't wait to meet someone my own age."

"Just remember not to come on too strong," Kristin reminded him. "These people are frightened, Lucas. We have to be careful."

"I know, I know,' Lucas said. "I just want to help them."

"We _all _do," Nathan said as the launch arrived at a docking area of the facility.

The rescue team entered the facility and were met with an overwhelming stench.

"Ugh, what's that smell?" Lucas asked, covering his nose.

"It smells like a slaughterhouse," Katie Hitchcock commented. "When I was a child, my uncle worked in one," she explained.

"It's blood," Kristin stated. Everyone turned to look at her. "I-I'm sorry, but blood has a distinct smell. I'm used to it."

"Yes, well, there has to be a lot of it to smell like _that_," Ford said.

Nathan passed out flashlights; everyone switched them on since the facility was so dark. As they shone their flashlights around, there were indeed blood stains on the walls and the floor. Nathan turned to the others. Everyone stay behind Ford and me; we don't know what we're dealing with.

Kristin, Katie, and Lucas exchanged worried glances as they followed Ford and Nathan. As they went deeper into the facility, they came upon a room filled with buckets. The buckets had words on them, indicating the contents was indeed blood; pig's blood and cow's blood.

"I guess that's what the smell is," Lucas commented.

"Ssshh," Nathan said. "I hear something."

Indeed, they heard all heard footsteps. They turned toward the sound, shining their light beams toward it. They were all surprised to see a child.

"Oh, it's just a little boy," Kristin said, as she walked towards him. "Hello, Sweetheart. We're here to help you. Are you hurt?"

But the boy backed away. He seemed frighted. "It's OK," Kristin said with a smile. "We're not going to hurt you? Where are your friends?"

The boy didn't answer. Instead, he turned and ran.

"Follow him," Nathan said.

Everyone followed the boy. A short time later, an older gentleman in his mid-fifties appeared in their path, startling Kristin so that she cried out.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to frighten you, but Daniel," he motioned towards the boy with his head, who was hiding behind him," is a bit shy. Sorry. My name's Antonio. And, this is Daniel."

"Yes, well, I'm Captain Nathan Bridger," Nathan said. Then, he motioned towards each crew member as he said his or her name, "This is Dr. Kristin Westphalen, Commander Jonathan Ford, Commander Katherine Hitchcock, and Lucas Wolenczak. We're all from the _seaQuest_."

Antonio nodded. "Yes, I know. Thank you so much for coming to our rescue. No one's ever answered our distress calls before."

"You've put out other distress calls?" Katie asked.

Antonio nodded. "But no one's ever taken the time to help us before."

"Why wouldn't anyone want to help you?" Kristin wondered.

Antonio turned to look at her. "We have a delicate illness."

"I'm a doctor," Kristin stated matter-of-factly, "I can help you."

"Where are the others?" Nathan asked.

"Gabrielle, Sonja," Antonio called. "It's alright. You can come out."

Just then, two young girls, one about the age of sixteen, the other about the age of ten stepped out of a nearby room. They both looked very frightened. "Come out," Antonio urged. "They're going to help us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gabrielle and Sonja carefully stepped from the shadows into the light. Kristin noticed how thin they looked, how thin they _all_ looked. She made a mental note that they were all probably malnourished and would see to it that they got some good, wholesome food once on the _seaQuest_. She was especially worried about the youngest one.

She gently approached, kneeling before him. "Hello, Daniel, my name's Kristin." She held out her hand. "Do you want to come with me?"

Daniel began to open his mouth, showing his teeth. "Daniel," Antonio warned, "no."

Kristin stared at the child in disbelief, wondering if she truly saw what she just saw. She stood up and backed away from the boy and looked at Antonio questioningly.

"You don't understand," he told her. "You have no idea what happened here."

"I-I'm sure I don't," Kristin answered quietly.

"Look, just give me a few minutes alone with them," Antonio explained.

Kristin, Nathan, and the others all stepped into the adjoining room. "I don't think this is such a good idea," Ford whispered. "Did you _see_ the teeth on that kid?"

Nathan agreed, "Ford's right. We have no idea what happened to them. I'm beginning to think it might be dangerous to bring them aboard."

"_Dangerous_?" Kristin repeated. "How in the _world _could you think that three children and their father could be dangerous?"

"Kristin, that boy tried to bite you," Nathan countered. Then he added, "Did he _say_ he was their father?"

Kristin shook her head. "I'm just assuming he's their father, but, Nathan, we _don't_ know what happened here. I'm willing to bet that they've all suffered some sort of trauma; I'm _sure _we can help them."

Lucas came to her defense as well, "Captain, their _just_ kids. Do you _really_ think they're a threat to the crew?"

Nathan looked at the pleading eyes of Lucas and Kristin. They _did_ have a point. He didn't really think the kids were much of a threat. But, that boy _did_ try to bite Kristin. Everyone saw it. But, it was possible that the boy had some sort of disability-and none of them did know what happened to them, "Alright," he agreed, "we can't just leave them here."

Kristin and Lucas breathed sighs of relief. Suddenly, Antonio entered the room. "We're ready to go," he said. "There won't be any more outbursts."

"Right, let's go," Nathan said, as Antonio led the way back to the room where the children were.

Kristin whispered to Nathan, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said, although he still had a feeling of impending doom, but he didn't know why.

However, as Antonio promised, the children were well-behaved, though none of them spoke.

On the launch, Kristin tried to speak to Antonio. "Are you their father?"

Antonio shook his head. "No, we're not related at all. We're just friends. After-"

His thoughts were interrupted as Gabrielle collapsed. Kristin rushed to her side immediately. Antonio was right behind her. "I'm sorry," Kristin told him, "but the best thing you can do for her is to let me work. Please step back."

Kristin began to check her vitals. When she brought her fingers to Gabrielle's throat to feel for a pulse, Antonio looked at her and said quietly, "You won't find one."

"What?" Kristin said in surprise. But, as her fingers moved around Gabrielle's neck, she found he was correct. She looked at him, obviously quite confused. "H-how did you-?"

"We're sick," Sonja interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her for it was the first time they'd heard her speak. "We're sick, and we're weak." Then, she added, "Gabi's not dead. She just needs to eat. It happens all the time."

Kristin carefully brought a comforting hand to Sonja's knee as she said, "Don't worry. We'll be sure she does. We'll be sure you _all_ do."

Antonio watched as Kristin turned back to Gabrielle and continued to work on her. He knew what Kristin would find, but decided it was best to let her discover it for herself. One had to see it to truly believe it.

Kristin had called back to _seaQuest_ to make sure that there were nurses and a gurney waiting for them when they returned. As soon as the launch landed, Gabrielle was rushed to medbay.

Meanwhile, Nathan took Antonio, Sonja, and Daniel to the guest quarters. There, they found fresh clothing. "You can get cleaned up and put on some better clothing. Then, I'll send someone to take you to medbay. By that time, Kristin should be able to tell you something about Gabrielle. I'm sure she wants to do an examination on all of you."

Antonio nodded, knowing that the doctor would definitely want to do an examination on all of them, _especially_ after she finished examining Gabrielle. Of course, neither of them had ever officially been examined by a doctor, but he knew there had to some significant differences between them and all other people. "Uh, thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Nathan answered. He showed him a series of buttons on the wall. "If you need anything, just push this button. Otherwise, I'll see you later." Nathan gave him a nod and left.

In medbay, Kristin ran several tests on Gabrielle. And as the results came back, Kristin was more confused than ever. In fact, it seemed her genetic makeup was completely different from that of a normal human. And, what's more, Kristin had thought that Gabrielle's heartbeat was so weak that her pulse was just very faint. But, in fact, she had no heartbeat at all-but she still breathed. It was so puzzling that she could think of only one thing to do.

But, before she could do anything more, she heard Nathan over the intercom. "Dr. Westphalen, how are you doing?"

Kristin sighed. She had no idea what to tell him. "Um, we're doing OK," she said.

"You don't sound like you believe that," Nathan noted.

"Whatever condition Gabrielle has, it's something I've never seen before. In fact, it's something _no one_ has seen before. It doesn't appear to be known to medical science. I'm going to have to speak with Antonio."

"I understand," Nathan told her. "I'll go get him, and we'll meet you in a few moments."

A short time later, Antonio and Nathan arrived in medbay. "How's Gabi?" Antonio asked when he saw Kristin.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms when she saw him. "Obviously, you know I can't tell you. Why don't _you_ tell me?"

Antonio sighed. "I tried to tell you."

"Why don't we go into Kristin's office, and you can tell us everything?" Nathan suggested.

Kristin nodded and led the way. She motioned for them to sit down as she shut the door.

Antonio proceded to tell them what had happened at the Blackwood Mining Facility six years earlier and how he, Gabrielle, Sonja, and Daniel managed to survive.

"So, we've been living on pig's blood and cow's blood. We were able to have it smuggled in, but the problem is it isn't fresh. And it doesn't provide us with the nutrients we need. We don't age. I still look the same age I did six years ago. So does Daniel, Sonja, and Gabi. Daniel might look small, but he's really almost thirteen, Sonja sixteen, and Gabi is in her early twenties."

Nathan looked at him in disbelief. "So you're telling _me_ I have vampires aboard my boat?" He spoke a bit more loudly than he intended. "You made me leave those two _things_ with Crocker. What if they attack him?"

Kristin was a bit more rational. "Nathan, please," she pleaded.

Antonio said, "Contrary to what you might think, Captain, we are not animals. We _can_ practice self-control. I've already explained to Daniel and Sonja that they are not to attack anyone."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then, Kristin asked. "So how _can_ we help you?"

Antonio looked at her and said in a desperate tone, "We need blood."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just a quick note to thank you to those who have reviewed. I appreciate all comments. Also, this is also to let you know that this is the last chapter that will be rated T. The next chapter and all those after will be M because, well, there will be blood. It's just to be safe. Thank you.**

**Chapter 3**

Nathan and Kristin exchanged glances, both unsure of exactly what to say.

"So what exactly do you propose?" Nathan finally asked. "Are you asking one of _us_ to offer-"

Antonio shook his head. "No, no, of course _not_. What I meant was...well, this _is_ a medical facility, isn't it? Certainly, you would have stores of human blood for..._emergencies_."

"This really isn't a life or death situation," Nathan said. "That blood is for hu-" He was going to say _humans_, but he stopped when he noticed the look Kristin was giving him. "That blood is for those who really _need_ it."

"I understand that," Antonio countered. "And, you're right. Gabi won't _die_, but her suffering will be great. You do not understand how horribly _painful_ it is if we can't get the blood we need. You _said_ you would help us."

"I said I would rescue you," Nathan said, "I never agreed to-"

"Captain," Kristin broke in, "may I speak with you..._privately_?"

"Right," Nathan agreed, not particularly liking the expression on Kristin's face however.

"Excuse us for a moment," Kristin told Antonio apologetically.

Nathan and Kristin walked into a nearby, vacant office, and Kristin shut the door before she spoke. She took a deep breath and said, "Nathan, why can't we help them?"

Nathan sighed. "Kristin, I don't think we have the means to deal with their _condition_. I'm going to contact Admiral Noyce, and-"

"You will do no such _thing_," Kristin raised her voice, leaving Nathan taken aback. "If the UEO finds out about them, do you know what they'll _do_?"

"Kristin, GELF's have been around since the beginning of the century. The UEO will be able to help them."

"Yes, they have helped _other_ GELF's, but these GELF's are different. _These_ GELF's can't possibly function in normal society. When the UEO finds out they've managed to survive for six years while the others were destroyed, they would be treated like lab animals, vivisected, and quite possibly _killed_."

"So, what exactly are you suggesting, Doctor?" Nathan asked.

"I'm suggesting we let them stay, and we _help_ them. You know as well as I that I can always order more blood reserves; it isn't an odd order."

Nathan nodded. "Yes, alright. Well, let's say we help them for a while...and then what? Where will we take them? Where will they _go_?"

Kristin thought for a moment. "I-I don't know."

"Well, _that's_ reassuring," Nathan said sarcastically.

"Nathan, think of the _children_," Kristin urged. "They _never_ asked for this to happen; _neither_ of them did. They are victims of circumstance. What if it were Lucas? You wouldn't turn him away. Just give it some time, and we'll figure something out."

Nathan thought for a moment. He really was set against it, but Kristin was right. These beings would be destroyed, and they would most likely suffer before it happened. He didn't want to be responsible for that. "Alright," he said. "But, we're going to have to set some ground rules down."

Kristin gave him a grateful hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you decided to do the right thing," she said with a smile.

"If this doesn't work out, I'm holding _you_ responsible," Nathan said. The comment was made jokingly, but he meant it. He really didn't feel completely comfortable having these beings on his boat.

Kristin laughed. "Everything will be fine," she assured him. "Let's go tell Antonio the good news."

Nathan followed her out of the room back to her office where Antonio was still waiting. "Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly.

Nathan and Kristin sat down. "Look, Antonio," Nathan stated, "we've decided to help you for now. But we're going to have to have a meeting and set some rules down. And, I don't want your true identity getting past the senior staff; I feel it may distract most of my crew."

"I completely understand, Sir. Thank you so much," Antonio said gratefully.

Nathan nodded. "Well, don't thank me; thank Dr. Westphalen. She's the one who advocated for you and your friends. I'm willing as lon as there are no problems."

"I understand, Sir." Antonio stood up and extended his hand to Kristin. "Thank you so much, Doctor."

"You're quite welcome," Kristin said with a smile.

A short time later, the senior staff was gathered in the ward room along with Antonio, Sonja, and Daniel. "...and I don't want the true reason for their presence here to leave this room," Nathan explained. "All anyone else needs to know is that we've rescued them from a bad situation, just like any other ordinary rescue."

"What are we going to do with them, Sir?" Ford asked. "I mean, after we've helped them, where will they go?"

"We haven't quite decided yet," Kristin broke in, "but, until then, we want them to have animosity for the most part."

Nathan nodded. "Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Then Antonio said, "I want to thank all of you for helping us. I know how uncomfortable some of you may feel, but we do have self-control. We won't attack or intentionally harm anyone."

Most of the crew exchanged glances with one another as an uncomfortable silence fell upon them all.

Nathan finally broke the silence, "Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we trust you." Then, he said, "As long as there are no more questions, I believe this meeting is adjourned. We have work to do."

Kristin brought Antonio and the children to medbay. She brought them into an examination room and ordered one of her nurses to bring her several pints of blood. While she was checking on Gabi, Nathan knocked on the door.

"Nathan, I thought you were headed to the bridge."

"I-I was," Nathan said, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright...alone...with them."

Kristin laughed lightly. "Nathan, don't be silly. You need to learn to trust them. They're not monsters; you need to stop treating them like they are."

Nathan placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kristin, I just want you to be careful. Just because they _say_ they won't hurt anyone doesn't mean they're telling the truth. Just promise me you'll be on your guard."

Kristin sighed and nodded. "Alright," she said. "Just don't worry so much."

"I'll come check on you later." And, with that, Nathan headed to the bridge, hoping that Kristin was right to have so much faith in these creatures.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kristin turned back to Gabi, who had still not awoken. She handed her nurse an empty plastic tub. "Please fill this with several pints of A positive blood and bring it to me." A positive was the most abundant blood type, and it would be quite easy to replenish the supply.

"How many do you need?" the nurse asked.

"Um," Kristin tried to guess how many would suffice each of them, "try sixteen?"

"Sixteen," the nurse repeated. "Right away, Doctor." It was not an odd request, but it was rare so much blood would be needed at one time. However, the nurse didn't argue and as she was told.

A short time later, the nurse returned with Kristin's request. Kristin thanked her and sent her to another task. However, once Kristin was alone, she realized she was unsure of how to go about administering the blood. Admittedly, the most humane way for her would be to inject it just as she would a human who needed a transfusion. But, well, vampires needed to drink it. She decided to ask Antonio, and for the first time since they'd come aboard, she felt slightly uncomfortable.

Antonio noticed Kristin motioning for him; he told the children he'd be back and went to meet her.

"Yes?" Antonio asked.

"Could I speak with you in my office for a moment?" Antonio followed her, and Kristin shut the door behind her.

"Is there a problem," Antonio asked anxiously.

Kristin shook her head. "No, it's not that. I-I'm just a little unsure about how to do this."

Antonio noticed how uncomfortable Kristin seemed. "Does it bother you?"

"W-what?"

"Does it bother you to be alone with me?"

"N-no it's not that," Kristin said. "It's just...do you _need _to drink the blood?"

Antonio chuckled lightly. "That's normally how it's done. If you get some glasses, we can spare you the gruesomeness of it; I can help you if you'd like. Is that alright?"

Kristin nodded. "We can get some glasses in the galley. Follow me."

Antonio followed Kristin as they walked to the galley. When they arrived he followed her into the kitchen area. She began taking glasses off she shelf when she accidentally dropped one.

"Shit," Kristin muttered as the glass shattered when it made contact with the floor. She bent down to start picking up the broken shards.

"Let me help you," Antonio said. He began picking up broken shards as well.

A few moments later, Kristin uttered a cry of pain. She had cut herself on a sharp piece of glass and blood began dripping from the open wound.

"Are you alright?" Antonio asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just being careless," Kristin said, trying not to drip blood on the floor.

Antonio wasn't sure what came over him, but he gently took Kristin's hand in his and sucked the wounded finger, laving the dripping blood with his tongue. After a few seconds, he realized what he'd done and let go of her. "Forgive me," he said.

Ironically, Kristin wasn't repulsed by his actions. There was something kind in the gesture, although anyone else would have found it improper had there been any witnesses. "It's alright," Kristin said quietly, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "You didn't mean any harm." Part of her wanted to ask, "Did you?", but she refrained from that. She wanted to show Antonio and the others compassion, something they hadn't known in a long time. Besides, she was a doctor; that was her nature. Questioning his intentions would only complicate things.

There was an awkward silence as Antonio handed Kristin a paper towel so that she could clean the remaining blood from her finger. "Thank you," Kristin said. After Kristin had placed a bandage on her finger from the first-aid kit on the wall, she and Antonio finished cleaning up the broken glass with a broom and dustpan.

Then, Kristin went to the shelf to get some glasses. Antonio noticed her trying to reach for the shelf was a bit taller than Kristin.

"Please, allow me," he said, grabbing the glasses.

"Well, I'm lucky you were here. I probably would have broken them all," she said, trying to laugh a bit to keep the mood light. He handed her two of the glasses. "Thank you."

"Shall we?" he asked.

"You know, Antonio, I'm not sure how we'll get Gabi to drink. She's in some sort of coma," Kristin explained.

Antonio nodded knowingly. "We've seen it before," he answered. "There were times in Blackwood where we went a long time without eating," he explained. Then he added, "But, not to worry. Once she smells the blood, she should perk right up. It's like smelling salts."

Kristin nodded. They walked back to medbay in silence. When they returned Kristin asked, "Do-do you need it...warmed?"

Antonio laughed lightly. He placed a gentle hand on hers. "You needn't be nervous."

"I-I'm sorry. This is the first time I've done this."

"I understand," Antonio said soothingly. "Believe me. I completely understand. Do you want me to help you?"

Kristin nodded. "Please." She realized her hands were trembling as she tried to empty the blood into the glasses. "Will this be enough?" she asked, motioning to the tub filled with the bags of blood. "I wasn't sure how much you would need."

Antonio laughed. "It may have been a long time since we've eaten properly, but I think you've brought us more than enough, Doctor."

"Please call me Kristin," she said with a smile. Then, she added, "I didn't know."

"Don't apologize. It's good to know there are still kind people in this world. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done, for me anyway. And I mean that even _before _the pandora project occurred. Your captain doesn't seem particularly elated to have us aboard."

"Nathan's worried about the crew; he's very protective of us. And, he's not sure if he can trust you." Then, she added, "_I'm_ the one who convinced him to give you a chance. Please don't let me down."

Antonio nodded. "We'll try not to," he said sincerely. Then he added, "The captain must trust you a great deal."

Kristin nodded. "We're close," she admitted. Then she said, "I suppose I should let you do what you need now. Just leave whatever you don't...um, use. I'll be sure no one disturbs you; and then, afterwards, you can help me with Gabrielle."

Antonio nodded as Kristin eased towards the door. Then, he said, "Um, Doctor?"

"Kristin, please," Kristin corrected.

"Alright, Kristin," he said, "Might I be so bold as to say that scent you're wearing is intoxicating?"

Kristin felt slightly taken aback, but smiled graciosly, "Thank you." With that she turned to leave. However, as she thought about the comment, she suddenly realized she wasn't wearing any perfume at all. Her heart sank with the realization with what Antonio had meant, and she hoped she would not regret helping them after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: ****I would just like to apologize for not updating this sooner. I was paying more attention to my other story, admittedly. And, I've been sick with a cold, but am getting better. So, I will be working on this and updating more regularly, even though I plan to start another story soon as well. Thank you.**

Kristin headed to her office. She tried to do some work, but she found herself distracted with thoughts about the newcomers in the room adjacent to her office. The most distressing thing to her was what they were going to do with them. _Where_ were they going to go when all was said and done? That was one detail she still hadn't worked out, and she hadn't the slightest idea of how to go about it. Suddenly, however, these thoughts were interrupted by a horrified scream.

Kristin shot up and ran out of her office, and her heart sank when she'd realized her mistake. She'd promised Antonio that she'd be sure they weren't disturbed, but she'd been so distracted that she'd neglected to do so. And, standing before her in the doorway of the room in which Antonio and the others were was Heidi, one of the nurses.

She turned to Kristin with a look of horror on her face pointing towards the room. "D-doctor? I-I...th-there are...blood..." she stammered.

Kristin glanced in the room and had to quickly turn her eyes away for the scene was disturbing. It was like something out of a horror movie. Antonio, Sonja, and Daniel were like animals savoring the blood as though it was a good wine; but knowing it was blood made it seem unnatural. What's more is that they had blood dripping down the corners of their mouth making Kristin feel nauseous. And, to Kristin's dismay, other nurses and science personnel who heard the scream had gathered around, witnessing the same scene.

She gently pushed Heidi aside so she could close the door.

"Doctor?" Heidi asked questioningly.

Kristin turned to them all. She certainly had a lot of explaining to do.

**One hour later**

"Damn it, Kristin!" Nathan yelled a bit more harshly than he'd intended. But, she made a huge mistake, and now the secrecy they'd strived for in this situation was breached. He had called Kristin into his quarters to speak with her privately, to strategize a plan. But when she'd simply answered that she just got distracted, his anger peaked.

"I'm sorry," Kristin answered quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. She knew it was a poor excuse, especially now that the whole boat knew that there were vampires aboard.

"Kristin, this just isn't like you, to make mistakes like this. What happened?" He was a bit more gentle this time.

Kristin was nearly in tears. She didn't blame Nathan for being angry. She knew that as soon as she left the room that she should have told the other staff members that that room was not to be disturbed. But, she didn't, and now she couldn't change what was already done. "I-I was just distracted," she said again, her voice quivering slightly.

Nathan sighed. He knew she was embarrassed, but he had to speak with her about it. He didn't enjoy putting her through this, but he needed her help. "Well, how do suggest we keep this from Admiral Noyce? Now that everyone knows, it isn't going to be easy to keep it from him."

"Can't we just speak with the crew and explain it?" she said, still not meeting his gaze.

"We can, but how do we prevent any of them from contacting UEO headquarters?"

"We'll just have to tell them it's confidential," Kristin said.

Nathan kneeled in front of her, finally frustrated that she wouldn't look at him. "You know they can't stay here."

Kristin shook her head. "No, Nathan, you gave me your word. You promised me we'd help them."

"Yes, well, you gave me your word, too. And, now look where we are."

"Don't punish them for something I've done. It's not their fault," Kristin pleaded.

Nathan sighed once again. He felt like a parent who had to explain to his young child why she couldn't keep the wild bird with the broken wing she nursed back to health. "Even if I agree, where are they going to go? We can't just bring them upworld and forget about them. They'll need blood. Do you think they can just feed on junkies and prostitutes, people no one else would miss? Do you really think they can continue to live undetected? If you do, you're mistaken. Things like that only happen in novels and science fiction TV shows and movies; that's not real life. And you know what will happen when they _are_ discovered."

Kristin nodded. "I know," she said. She noticed he didn't say 'if they were discovered'. She knew if they did bring them upworld, they would eventually be found. "But, we can't blame them for what's happened to them. That scientist who did do this played God; I just want to fix it."

"Look, Kristin, I know you have the best intentions, but I can't allow it. It's too risky, and now I have a crew all up in arms over their presence."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I promise I'll help you speak with them, explain it to them."

"I thank you for that, but that doesn't change-"

"Just give me a week," Kristin pleaded, cutting him off. "Gabi's still not well. She's eaten; she's awake, but I need to be sure. Give me a week; perhaps there are others like them."

"Other GELF's, yes. But vampires? Well, I've never heard of any others," Nathan said. Then, he paused slightly. After a moment, he said, "A week; no more. If you make no progress nor come up with any kind of plan, I simply have no choice but to relinquish them to the UEO."

"Nathan, I don't know how to thank you."

"Just don't make any more mistakes like this, and we'll call it even," Nathan said.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and said, "I won't let you down." She turned to leave.

"I'll be gathering the crew on the bridge later this afternoon. I expect you by my side for that," Nathan said to her.

She turned back, "Of course. See you later." With that, she left, knowing exactly who she needed to speak with next-Lucas. She headed to the moon pool where he was working with Darwin.

"Lucas, I need your help," she said.

"What do you need?" Lucas asked.

"I need you to see if you might be able to find any other beings like our new friends."

"You're giving me permission to hack?" Lucas asked.

Kristin nodded. "We only have a week," she added.

"I heard the captain wasn't too happy with you," he said.

"How did you hear that?" she asked.

"It's a small boat, Doc."

"Just don't get caught," she said, "and be quick about it."

"Yes, ma'am." And, with that, she and Lucas parted.

Kristin then headed to the guest quarters. She knocked on Antonio's door.

"Enter," he called.

Kristin entered the room. "I'm sorry," she said. "I hope you're not angry with me."

"Oh, you mean now that the whole boat's afraid of us? Oh, of course not," he said sarcastically.

"I deserved that," Kristin answered. "Look, I know I can't change what I've done, but I really am sorry."

Antonio said nothing, so Kristin said, "Well, I suppose I'll leave you; I just wanted you to know I didn't mean to-"

"Wait," Antonio said. "I know you didn't mean it."

Kristin noticed there was now a warm glow about his cheeks, a drastic change from the paleness he had before; in addition to that, there was one small disturbing change-his eyes. The whites of his eyes had turned blood red, something she hadn't noticed when she first entered the room. "Y-your eyes," she whispered.

"It's nothing to worry about," he said, noting her concern. "It will fade; it happens after a feeding."

Kristin nodded, unsure of what to say. "We're going to be having a meeting later so we can explain to everyone you're not dangerous."

"We appreciate that," Antonio answered. "And, I'm glad you have so much faith in us. After Daniel nearly attacked you, I'd have thought you wouldn't be so sure we're harmless."

Kristin had to admit she _wasn't _absolutely sure of that, but neither of them posed much of a threat yet, so she gave them the benefit of the doubt. "Well, you've been kind so far."

There was a brief moment of silence between them.

"You know, Kristin, I really don't know how to thank you for your kindness," Antonio said, coming closer to her.

Kristin wasn't sure how to react for she could sense what was about to happen. She didn't know whether to run away or to give into it. But, while she was mentally debating, Antonio made his move. And it happened so fast, she couldn't resist for he kissed her so passionately that she had no choice but to return the kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The kiss lingered for a few moments, but it was finally interrupted by the insistent beeping of Kristin's PAL.

Kristin gently pushed Antonio away. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, "I have to answer that." She took the PAL out of her pocket. "Westphalen."

"Doc? I wanted to give you the results of what I found," Lucas' said. "Do you want me to meet you-"

"No," Kristin said. "I mean, I'll come meet you. Are you in your quarters?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in a few moments. See you then."

"OK, Doc."

Kristin cut the link and turned to Antonio. She felt the warm blush on her cheeks, and she didn't know exactly what to say to him. Of course, there was no ring on her finger, but she felt guilty. She and Nathan weren't serious, but they'd definitely had interest in each other. They'd been flirting shamelessly with one another since day one, but Nathan hadn't made much of a move, save for a few gentle kisses. But, Antonio's kiss was far from gentle; there was a desperate need behind it, a hunger. Kristin couldn't deny she was attracted to him, but it wasn't right. "Um, look, Antonio, I-"

Whatever Kristin was going to say was lost because Antonio captured her lips once again. Kristin tried to pull away, but Antonio tightened his hold on her as the kiss deepened. After several minutes, Antonio finally broke the kiss. "You were saying?" he said.

Kristin took a deep breath. "Look, I really have to go," she said. "We'll talk later." And before anything more could happen, she left the room. In the corridor, she practically ran into Nathan.

"Kristin!" he said, "Is something wrong?"

Kristin shook her head. "No, of course not. I'm sorry; I was just in a hurry."

Normally, Nathan would have accepted that answer, but she was acting so strangely that he doubted her. Her face was extremely red, and she was acting very nervous. "Don't worry about it," he said. Then he added, "Are you feeling alright? Your face is all red."

"Is it?" Kristin said as she instinctively brought a hand to her face, feeling the hot skin beneath. "Well, I'm not sure why; I feel fine."

Nathan quietly eyed her for a few moments, trying to determine if she was being truthful. He still had the feeling she was holding something back, but he decided not to push the issue at the moment. "Uh, I was wondering if you've seen Lucas."

"Actually, I'm on my way to his room; he was doing some research for me."

"Oh, well do you mind if I walk with you then?"

Kristin shook her head, still trying to regain her composure from what happened with Antonio. "Uh, please do."

So, she and Nathan headed to the mag-lev. They sat down as the mag-lev started. "Uh, Kristin, I know we haven't had much time to spend together so I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Had it been a merely fifteen minutes earlier, Kristin would have graciously accepted. But, now she felt confused, so that she said, "I'm not sure. I'll have to check my schedule."

Nathan felt slightly hurt by that answer, but he tried not to let it show. "Of course, we can always do it another night. You just let me know when you have time."

"I will," Kristin answered quietly. She didn't like leading Nathan on like this, but she needed to think.

A moment later, the mag-lev came to a halt, and the pair exited and headed for Lucas' room.

When Lucas heard the knock, he said, "Come in."

Lucas was typing away at his computer when Kristin came up behind him. "Well, what did you find?" Then she turned to Nathan, "I had him check to see if he can find any others like Antonio and the others."

Lucas hadn't noticed the captain's presence until the doctor spoke to him. "Cap, you're here, too? Well, that's good because I think you're going to want to see this."

Lucas typed away before bringing up several web pages. "Well," he said, "There are a group of others just like them."

"Well, that's good news," Nathan said with a smile.

Lucas shook his head. "I'm not so sure you're going to think that after you find out the whole story. This," he said as he brought up a picture on the screen, "is Dr. Alexander Curry aka Dr. Blood."

"Dr. _Blood_?" Kristin repeated.

Lucas nodded. "Well, you'll see why he's called that. I had to do a lot of digging on this since he runs a top secret colony, and it's _not_ UEO sanctioned." He typed some more and brought up another web page. "This is known as _Savage Garden_." The webpage showed a mansion that looked like something out of a Dracula movie. "It seems Dr. Curry has been turning people into vampires for years." A few more clicks and typing occurred.

"Oh my God!" Kristin exclaimed as the pictures on the screen showed people, or what used to be people but were obviously vampires. However, they were wearing collars like dogs, but they weren't regular collars. They were big, bulky collars with metal contacts, obviously for the purposes of administering electric shocks. "_Why_ are they wearing collars?"

"It seems to be some sort of device used to control them so they don't attack any of the humans who work in the colony," Lucas answered.

"So, they're slaves?"

Lucas nodded grimly.

"Do they feed them?" Nathan asked.

"That's the interesting part. It seems they hold great rituals where the vampires are allowed to feed."

"So, they don't get human blood?" Nathan said.

"Oh, no, they do. They bring people in and the vampires...well, go to town, so to speak. I read that people pay a lot of money to see these shows. It's like theatre."

"And what of the victims? They're taken against their will?" Kristin asked in horror.

"Actually, no. It's my understanding that all the victims are consensual. Apparently, it's a great honor to be a vampire's victim. They have ways of convincing mortals of this."

"How exactly do they do that?" Nathan asked.

"I'm not sure; I couldn't find information on that," Lucas asked.

"Where is this _Savage Garden_, exactly?" Kristin asked.

"Siberia," Lucas answered. "Apparently as far away from overly populated areas. They strive to maintain their secrecy."

"Well, that's perfect," Nathan said.

"What?" Kristin asked.

"Well, Antonio and the others could go _there_," Nathan motioned towards the screen.

"Are you _mad_?" Kristin's voice began to become shrill. "You want them to be _slaves_?"

"Well, do you have a better alternative? Look, it's either this or we turn them over to the UEO. At least there," he said pointing to the screen, "they'd be alive. I doubt there's any other groups of them living anywhere else, are there?" he asked Lucas.

Lucas shook his head.

"Well, I don't care, Nathan. I'm not about to send them to that...that...God forsaken _place_," Kristin yelled.

"Kristin, we're running out of alternatives here. You remember what we talked about earlier, don't you?"

"You gave me a week, and I am not satisfied with this alternative. And, I am not agreeing to anything until I _am_. And, I certainly think we ought to ask _them_ where they'd like to go. They certainly have a choice in the matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have patients to take care of." And, with that, she headed for the door, muttered a quick, "Thank you, Lucas," and stormed off.

Nathan sighed while Lucas said, "That went well."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know this story is a little bizarre. Admittedly, I was considering deleting the story for a while because I thought readers might not be ready for such a story, but I've decided that would only be hurting myself and my vision. And, I know there are some readers who ironically **_**do**_** like this. So, if you could be so kind as to tell me, I would really appreciate it. Regardless, I will keep telling the story, but it's nice to have people tell me they like this; it does help boost my confidence. It's only going to get weirder from here, so it would be nice to know you're still with me. Thank you. **

**Chapter 7**

In medbay, Kristin headed to her office. She tried to work, tried to keep her mind occupied, but she found it difficult. She looked at a stack of paperwork and sighed, debating whether to go through it or not. Even if she made the attempt, she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She decided to make her rounds instead, even though it was a little early for that.

As she passed from room to room, she felt calmer and more at ease. All her problems she'd throughout the day seemed to disappear. Finally, she came to Gabi's room; but her new-found good mood faded when she saw that Antonio was visiting her as well.

"Oh, hello, Doctor," Antonio greeted her with a somewhat evil smile that sent chills up Kristin's spine.

"Uh, hello," Kristin replied. She quickly turned her attention to Gabi. "And how are _you _doing, hm?

"I'm feeling much better, Doctor," Gabi replied. "Will I be able to get out of here soon?"

Kristin chuckled softly. "Oh, you're eager to break out, are you?"

Gabi nodded. "Not that it's not nice; it's just that-"

"You don't have to apologize, my Dear," Kristin assured her with a gentle hand on her arm, "I understand. I don't like hospitals any more than _you_ do. And, I definitely think we can release you. We'll leave you so you can get dressed, and then someone will show you to your room."

So, Kristin and Antonio left the room; Kristin gave release instructions to one of the nurses and headed to her office, pretending like she had work to do. However, Antonio followed her anyway.

"Was there something you needed?" she asked.

Antonio laughed lightly. "Do you really want an honest answer?" he said suggestively, staring at her as though he was looking right through her, making Kristin swallow hard.

"Look, Antonio," Kristin said, "I-I'm very flattered that you find me attractive-"

"And you find me attractive as well," Antonio interrupted. It wasn't a question; he stated it as a fact, making Kristin blush.

"That's not the point," Kristin said. "The point is I'm a professional-and I'm sort of already seeing someone," Kristin added quietly.

"Yes, I already know-Captain Bridger."

Kristin stared at him open-mouthed, obviously shocked. "H-how...?"

"I have a confession to make," Antonio answered. "Human blood gives us certain abilities most humans do not possess. Honestly, it had been so long, I'd forgotten about them. One of these abilities is telepathy."

"Y-you can read my thoughts?" Kristin asked in dismay.

Antonio nodded. "Yes, and right now, your mind is screaming at me." He walked closer to her.

Kristin backed away. "Antonio, I-I think you should leave."

"That's what your voice says, but your mind says something else," Antonio whispered to her as he came closer still until Kristin's back was against the wall. She moved her gaze to the floor so as not to look at him. "Your mind's begging me to kiss you, begging me to put my hands on you. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Kristin opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat, feeling Antonio's warm breath on her neck, making her gasp for air. Her heart felt as though it would jump out of her chest, but she still refused to meet his gaze.

"The captain has barely touched you. You aren't even sure if he even wants you, Maybe you're just a mere infatuation to him," Antonio breathed. He gently placed his hand under her chin and pushed so that she would look at him. "Kristin, I promise this isn't an infatuation. You will know that _I _want you with every fiber of my being and I won't leave you confused." With that, he began to kiss her neck and throat.

Kristin moaned softly, reveling in the feelings of pleasure Antonio was eliciting. "Oh, yes," she moaned softly. "This is what I want."

Antonio then captured her lips when suddenly, the door swung open.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kristin heard Nathan's voice.

Kristin pushed Antonio away. "N-nathan! Why didn't you knock?"

"I did," he said. "I didn't know I'd be interrupting a make-out session."

"N-nathan, I-" Kristin began.

"Look, I just came by to apologize and to go over what we're going to say to the rest of the crew, but now I see why you're so protective of _them_." With that, he stormed off.

Kristin looked at Antonio apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I need to go speak with him."

"It's not going to help, Doctor. He's not going to understand."

"I'll see you later," she said as she ran off after Nathan.

A few moments later, she caught up to him. "Nathan," she said.

But, Nathan kept on walking, ignoring her.

"Nathan, can we talk? Please?"

"Oh, you mean he can take his tongue out of your mouth long enough for you to do that?" he said sarcastically.

"Look, Nathan, it wasn't what it looked like."

"And what was it then?"

"Uh, maybe we should take this conversation somewhere private?" Kristin said quietly, noticing that there were several crew members staring at them.

Nathan noticed the same thing and eased up a bit. "Fine; my quarters then."

So, the pair walked in silence until they got to Nathan's room. Once inside, Kristin said, "Nathan, you have to understand it wasn't intentional."

"What? Don't tell me you were trying to administer mouth to mouth."

"I was confused."

"Confused about what?"

"Half the time, I don't even know what I am to you. Maybe I'd like a little more honesty, a little more affection. I want you to show me I mean something to you."

Nathan came closer to her, backing her against the wall just as Antonio had done. "What? Is this what you want? You want me to be aggressive? You want me to force my self on you?" He released his hold on her. "Well, I'm not like that. I'm a gentleman. I like to take things slow. I thought you knew that. Why were you going behind my back?"

"Behind your back? We aren't even a couple? Don't treat me as though I belong to you. No man owns me."

"Well, I didn't think there was any danger of you being unfaithful. I guess I was wrong."

"Unfaithful? Oh please. You're jealous."

"Damn right, I'm jealous. And I'll tell you something else. I want them off my shop-immediately!" Nathan bellowed.

"You can't do that!" Kristin yelled back.

"Oh won't I?"

"Nathan, please," Kristin pleaded. "Please don't punish them because you're angry with me."

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love him?"

"I-I don't know, Nathan. I care for him, and I care for you as well," Kristin said quietly, nearly in tears.

"You go and tell your friends that we're taking them to Savage Garden; I'm through with you," Nathan said snidely. He realized how hurtful he was being to Kristin; he wasn't trying to hurt her, but he was so angry with her. And, he wanted those creatures off his boat now more than ever because he definitely didn't trust them.

And, for good reason, for as Kristin cried into his shoulder, Antonio held her and comforted her. But, at the same time, he was pleased for everything was falling into his plan just the way he wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: If anyone is interested, I just wanted readers to know that the seaQuest/Mummy crossover is now posted and can be found in the crossover section. Please check it out; it would mean a lot to me since it's my first crossover. Thank you. **

**Chapter 8**

As Antonio held Kristin, he said, "I told you he wouldn't understand."

Kristin pulled away from Antonio, wiped the stray tears from her eyes, and nodded. "Well, now he's trying to hurt me the way I hurt him; I never meant to hurt him."

"What's he going to do?"

"He's found a place for you and the others to go where there are other vampires. He doesn't trust you and he wants you off the _seaQuest_ as soon as possible."

"You mean you've found others like us? Well, that's wonderful," Antonio told her.

Kristin shook her head. "You're not going to think so." She proceeded to tell him about Savage Garden and Dr. Blood. "And, so you all would be slaves; what kind of life is that?" she asked as she felt fresh tears flow once again.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her once again. "There, there," he whispered. "Please don't cry, Heart's Dearest. Let's just enjoy the time we have left together. He can't take that away from us." Antonio then began to kiss her cheeks as though he was kissing away her tears.

Several moments later, Kristin was pinned on the bed beneath Antonio while they kissed each other. Antonio trailed soft, nipping kisses along Kristin's chin and down her throat, causing Kristin to moan in pleasure.

While Antonio continued his assault, Kristin suddenly felt a sharp pain. At first, the thought it may just be the result of a hickey. But, then, she suddenly realized what was happening, and she struggled under Antonio's grip.

"Sshh," Antonio whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you; I promise I won't drink too much. I just need to taste you."

With that, Antonio began drinking from Kristin once again, and Kristin had no choice but to let it happen. Soon, she began to feel weak as darkness washed over her.

**Hours Later**

Nathan was in his room thinking. He couldn't believe Kristin. He could definitely understand her feeling sympathy for the creatures, even understand her compassion. But, what he couldn't fathom was her complete lack of judgement. She thought nothing of letting that...that _thing_ put his hands on her, kiss her. Sure, he and Kristin hadn't actually talked about dating, but he thought it was implied. He knew she was interested in him.

He sighed. He'd treated her so horribly, and it wasn't exactly her fault. Yes, he was jealous; he didn't like the thought of any other man but him kissing her or doing anything else to her for that matter. But, it was her choice to make. He just couldn't believe how fast it happened. It wasn't like Kristin to rush into things, was it?

After mulling over these ideas in his mind, he finally got up the courage to go and apologize to her. He certainly wasn't changing his mind about taking these creatures to this _Savage Garden_, but he didn't want to lose Kristin and her friendship either.

Kristin awoke to someone knocking loudly on her door. She slowly got out of bed, trying to remember how she even got in her room. The last she remembered, she had been with Antonio. Suddenly she raised a hand to her neck, wondering if she had only dreamed it.

As the knocking continued, she called, "Just a moment." She hurried to the mirror and looked at her neck. Sure enough, there were two small puncture wounds on the right side of her neck. The knocking sounded again as she heard Nathan call, "Kristin? Are you there?"

"J-just a moment," Kristin called a bit louder, hoping he heard her this time. She suddenly wished she'd been wearing a turtleneck. She quickly fixed her hair with her fingers, hoping it would cover her neck so as Nathan wouldn't notice. She felt like a nervous teenager trying to hide her first hickey from her parents.

She finally opened the door. "Nathan, what a surprise," she said.

"Uh, hi," Nathan said. "Were you asleep?"

Kristin nodded. "Yes, but it's alright. Would you like to come in?"

"Please."

Kristin stepped aside to let him walk in. "You know, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.

"Yes, well it didn't sound like you were going to leave until I was. This must be pretty important."

Nathan looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. I just really wanted to talk with you."

"Oh? I thought you already said everything you wanted to me."

"I thought I did, too," Nathan said, "but I realized I was wrong to treat you the way I did. Just because I'm jealous doesn't mean I have the right to treat you that way."

"Would you like to sit down?"

Nathan nodded. "I'd like that."

As the two sat down, Kristin asked, "So what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't change my mind about Antonio and the others; I'm sorry. I tried to trust them, but I can't. But, I still trust you, and if-if he's the man you want, well, then I'll accept that. But, I don't want to lose you, at least as a friend. Can you forgive me?"

Kristin nodded. "Of course, Nathan. Thank you."

"Uh, we'll be arriving at the _Savage Garden _sometime tomorrow; we'll hold a staff meeting and decide who's going to-." Suddenly Nathan stopped what he was saying mid-sentence. "My God, Kristin! What happened to your neck?"

Kristin suddenly realized she'd been careless with moving her head so that her hair was no longer covering the puncture wounds. "I-it's not what it looks like," she stammered.

"You _let_ him do this to you?" Nathan asked, his anger washing over him once more.

"Nathan, please; you don't understand," Kristin pleaded, fully aware that Nathan was becoming angry once more.

"_Did_ you let him do this to you?"

Kristin felt tears sting her eyes. "I-I didn't know what was happening at first," she said quietly. "I didn't exactly give him permission."

Nathan stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Kristin asked.

"I'm going to kill him," Nathan said.

"Nathan, don't-"

"No, Kristin, you _don't_. You keep making excuses for him when he-he...violated you. He could have _killed_ you."

"But, he didn't."

"And what's to stop him from doing it again? I want you to stay away from him."

"You _can't_ order me around. I am _not _a robot," Kristin felt her anger peak as well.

"You still want to see him after this?" Nathan asked, unable to fathom the thought.

"I don't know, but I am not a child. I certainly have to the choice to see who I want when I want," Kristin yelled.

Nathan turned to leave. "You know, Kristin, I don't even know you anymore." With that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

"I don't even know myself anymore," Kristin said quietly under her breath.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kristin's statement was true. She didn't know herself anymore. She certainly was not the type of woman who would throw all her morals aside for a few moments of passion, was she? No, she wasn't. But, when she was in the presence of Antonio, it was like she couldn't resist, almost as though she was under a spell. Feeling absolutely drained, she laid back down and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, she awoke early. She quickly showered, dressed, and headed to the mess hall. While she was there, she noticed Nathan there as well. She held up her hand to wave to him, but he ignored her.

She should have expected that. Nathan was quite angry with her, and she knew didn't know if they could ever even be friends again after this. But as she grabbed a fruit plate and a cup of coffee, she thought she needed to make an effort to save what little friendship might still be alive.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, you don't want to eat with Antonio?" he said snidely.

"Actually, I haven't even seen him yet this morning. Plus, he really doesn't have a reason to come to the mess, does he?"

Nathan thought of a million horrible comments he could make to that question, but the look on Kristin's face melted his heart so that he couldn't bring himself to say any of them; he conceded.

"Please," Nathan said, motioning to the chair across from him.

"Thank you," Kristin said quietly. "Uh, so, have you contacted Dr. Curry yet?"

"Not yet; that's first thing on my agenda once I'm finished here. Do you want to help me?"

Kristin gave him a surprised look. "You think you need _my_ help?"

"Maybe. What do you say?"

"Alright."

And, so a short time later, the two were in Nathan's quarters. Nathan dialed the number on the vid phone.

A man who looked somewhat like Vincent Price, right down to the mustache, answered. "Dr. Blood," he said.

"Uh, hello, Doctor," Nathan answered. "I'm Captain Nathan Bridger, of the _seaQuest_, and I-"

"Excuse me, _Captain_, but the UEO has no jurisdiction where I am, and I am not interested in anything you have to say."

"No, I am not representing the UEO on this one; this is strictly off the record," Nathan answered.

"Oh?" Dr. Blood asked. "Who's your friend, Captain?"

"This is Dr. Westphalen," Nathan answered. "She's here to help me explain."

"Explain what exactly?"

"We've actually discovered some vampires of our own," Kristin explained.

Dr. Blood looked somewhat confused. "There are no other vampires in the world but my own."

"Well, it seems you're mistaken on that," Nathan said, "because we have four on board as we speak. And, we have no idea where to take them; we were hoping you could help us out on that."

"Well, I would need to meet them first," Dr. Blood said. "I would want to give them a tour and explain how we work around here."

"Well, that's what we were hoping," Kristin said.

"Yes, we have a very structured way of doing things; it may not be for everyone. Will you and the lovely doctor be accompanying them. We love to have guests."

Nathan exchanged glances with Kristin. "Um, I'm not sure-"

"Oh, please, Captain; we're dying for you to see our little show. It's an experience you'll never forget. It's not for the faint of heart, mind you."

"Well, I suppose we could do that," Nathan said.

"As long as you aren't going to report me to the UEO," Dr. Blood added.

"Believe me, we aren't planning on that. We promised the visitors we wouldn't do that."

"Oh? Do they know about us?"

"Well, we explained it to them. I'm sure they want to see what you have to offer," Kristin said.

"Well, we definitely could have a place for them. Tell me, do you know where we are?"

Nathan nodded.

"And, how soon can we expect you?"

"In the next few hours. Is that alright?"

"That will be wonderful," Dr. Blood said with a somewhat evil smile. "We'll be waiting for you." And with that, he cut the link.

"Well, _he_ was interesting," Nathan said to Kristin.

"Disturbing is more like it," Kristin admitted. "Nathan, are you _sure _you want to go to this place?"

"You having second thoughts?" Nathan asked.

"N-no," Kristin said with a slight hesitation.

Nathan didn't believe her. However, he didn't force it; he made a mental note to have a long discussion with her after all was said and done. "Well, I suppose we ought to get to work. You'll tell Antonio and the others, won't you?"

Kristin nodded. "Of course. I'll see you later then?"

"Later," Nathan confirmed. He led Kristin to the door; he noticed there was something about her, something he couldn't quite figure out; she just seemed very hesitant to leave. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Kristin shook her head. "No, everything's fine. I just thought you were still angry with me."

"No," Nathan said. "I'm not angry. Listen, I don't want to lose our friendship no matter what happens. I promise I won't be jealous."

"Neither do I, and thank you for that."

"How's your neck?" Nathan asked, noticing the two puncture wounds had now become two small bruises.

"It hurts, but I'll live," Kristin admitted. "Thank you."

"No problem. Until later then."

"Later," Kristin said as she left.

**Later that afternoon**

When the _seaQuest_ arrived in the East Siberian Sea, a launch was prepared for Nathan, Kristin, Antonio, and the others. They soon headed for the New Siberian Islands where _Savage Garden_ was located.

Soon, they arrived. Some of Dr. Blood's henchmen met them on snowmobiles and brought them to _Savage Garden_.

Soon, Kristin, Nathan, and the others were waiting in a stateroom within the walls of the facility for Dr. Blood.

"Are we going to be waiting long?" Gabi asked.

"I don't know, Dear," Kristin answered from where she and Antonio were sitting on the other side of the room. "I hope not."

Antonio put his arm around Kristin's waist and pulled her closer to him. "Why not, My Sweet?"

"Can I be so frank as to say this place gives me the creeps?" Kristin said, matter-of-factly.

Antonio responded by kissing her gently. "Does that make you feel better?"

"A little," Kristin said.

Nathan tried to keep his cool throughout the scene that played before his eyes. He tried to ignore the fact that another man was putting his hands all over her. He turned his eyes to the window, but he couldn't drown out the unmistakable laughter of Kristin's. Nathan turned, and Antonio had Kristin pinned to the small couch they were sitting on.

Nathan cleared his throat, making them sit up. "I'm sorry, Captain. Were we making you uncomfortable?"

"No, _she _wasn't," Nathan answered.

"Well, I'm sorry, Captain. She made her choice, and she chose me."

"For fear you might kill her. Tell me, is it your practice to pin all your girlfriends down and suck their blood against their will?"

Antonio lunged at Nathan, but Kristin quickly stood between them. "Antonio, stop," she ordered. "You go over there and let me talk to Nathan. Please. Don't make this worse."

Antonio stared at Nathan for several lingering moments, and then, he did as Kristin asked.

Kristin turned to Nathan. She ushered him into a corner opposite from where Antonio was. "Nathan, you promised you wouldn't be jealous," she whispered.

"I know, Kristin, and I'm sorry. But, he isn't making it very easy. He's all over you."

"I'll ask him not to be so affectionate in front of you, alright? Just _please_ don't make him angry," Kristin pleaded quietly.

Nathan thought he detected a slight amount of angst in Kristin's voice. "Why? Did he threaten you?" he asked.

Kristin turned her eyes away from him. She looked towards Antonio who was practically glaring towards the two of them. "Just please behave, alright? I better get back."

Nathan stared after her, unsure what to make of what she just said.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This story is rated M for a reason, and this chapter will be graphic, possibly more graphic than some may like. This will not be for the faint of heart. You've been warned. Thank you.**

**Chapter 10**

As Kristin went to sit next to Antonio, Nathan noticed the two were whispering quietly. He turned away to see if there happened to be a clock in the room. He wanted to know how long they'd been waiting and hoped it wouldn't be much longer because he felt nauseous. He was disappointed when he didn't see one. But, finally, the door opened.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Dr. Blood said.

"It's alright," Nathan said, stepping forward with his hand extended.

"Hello, Captain. Nice to see you again." He nodded towards Kristin, who rose to stand next to Nathan. "Doctor."

"Hello," Kristin said. She put her arm around Antonio's and ushered him forward. "Doctor, this is Antonio."

"Antonio," he said, shaking his hand. "So, you are one of the vampires?"

"That's correct, Sir. And, this is Gabrielle, Sonja, and Daniel," Antonio said.

Dr. Blood shook each one's hand and greeted them. "So nice to meet all of you. So, how did you become vampires exactly?"

"We were part of a government experiment during the war. Unfortunately, there were some side effects," Antonio said.

"I see," Dr. Blood answered. "How long ago?"

"Six years," Gabi answered. "We've been hiding in the abandoned underwater facility where it happened until these kind people rescued us."

"Well, how lucky you were then," Dr. Blood commented. "Well, I suppose you'd like to see what we have to offer you then?"

"Please," Antonio said.

"Follow me then. We've only an hour until the show begins."

So, everyone followed the doctor as he showed them around the facility. Nathan turned to look for Kristin, but Antonio already had his hand held tightly around her waist; Nathan sighed and turned his attention back to the tour.

And so, Dr. Blood started in the coffin room. "Here," he explained, "we ask that all inhabitants choose a coffin. I do realize it's cliché, but it does help with the sleeping arrangements. Does that pose a problem?" he asked of the GELF's.

"Not at all," Antonio said. The others nodded.

"Good," Dr. Blood continued. "If you do decide to stay here, we would require you to wear this." He showed them a collar, the same ones Kristin and Nathan had seen in the Internex article. "It's really just for precautionary purposes, you understand. We've only had to actually utilize the full-force of the collars a handfull of times. With humans working here, we have to protect ourselves. And, I promise, you will be fed well."

"And just how does that work exactly?" Nathan asked.

"How does what work? The collar?" inquired.

Nathan shook his head. "No, the feeding."

"Oh, you see it's really quite interesting. We mainly rely on the Internex for this. But, let me start by giving you an example here. I would like to nominate someone to be a victim for the vampires. Let's say you. So, I would load your name and picture on the Internex. At the same time, other people will have put their own nominees on as well. Then, voters will decide whom they want to choose. The nominee with the most votes is the winner."

"So, let's say I won," Nathan said, "and I was against it."

Dr. Blood laughed. "Do you think all our victims _want_ to be a vampire's meal?"

"Well, the Internex said that the victims actually believe that," Kristin broke in.

"That's because we _make_ them think that, with the help of a needle," Dr. Blood explained. "But, in their right minds, no one would want that fate."

"Who the _hell_ would develop a drug like that?" Nathan asked in disgust.

"Our scientist asks that he remain anonymous. But, without it, these vampires would be unleashed into regular society; no one would want that."

"Well, they only exist because of you," Nathan said.

Dr. Blood shook his head. "No, I only created a few. The rest created each other."

Confused glances were exchanged. "You can't make others vampires?" Dr. Blood asked the GELF's.

"I have no idea," Antonio said. "We've never tried."

"Well, here if a vampire exchanges blood with a human, meaning if they drink from one another simultaneously, the human will become a vampire. However, since we have over one thousand vampires here now, no vampires are made without clearance from me."

"And they all abide by that?" Nathan questioned.

"Yes, they do. They realize the necessity for the law. Now, over here..." Dr. Blood continued showing them around the facility.

Soon, the tour was over. "Now," Dr. Blood said, "We would like you to be our special guests to see our show." He looked them up and down. "But," he continued, "We will need you to change."

"Change?" Kristin asked.

"Yes, I suppose you didn't know this was a formal affair. Luckily, we have a few extra formal dresses and suits for impromptu guests." He called a woman over. "Catherine, would you show these ladies to the dressing rooms and find something for them suitable to wear?"

Catherine nodded, and Kristin, Gabrielle, and Sonja followed her.

"And you men can follow me."

A short time later, all emerged in formal garb. Nathan, Antonio, and Daniel looked debonnaire in expensive looking suits. Sonja and Gabrielle were dressed in pastel gowns. Gabi dressed in lilac, and Sonja dressed in pale yellow. Kristin, in contrast, was dressed in a deep burgundy-colored, strapless, velvet gown with a plunging neckline that showed off her assets quite well. On her hands, she wore long, matching gloves that came up to to her forearms. Although Nathan thought she looked gorgeous, he didn't like the way Antonio was eyeing her up.

She noticed Nathan staring at her. "Well, well, you look smashing, Captain."

"You don't look too bad there yourself, Doctor." He offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"

But Antonio grabbed Kristin's other arm. Kristin looked at Nathan apologetically. "I'll see you inside."

Nathan watched as the two walked into the theatre door. "Sure," Nathan said quietly as he followed after.

Inside, Nathan was surprised at how many people were in the theatre. He had to wonder why people would come to see such a show. But, then, he remembered how some people are truly fascinated by the macabre. He turned to Kristin to ask her something, but she and Antonio were locked in an embrace; Antonio kept whispering something into her ear, making her laugh. Nathan felt his blood boil. All he could think was that he was looking forward to seeing these GELF's leave. He was grateful when the houselights dimmed and Dr. Blood took the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Dr, Blood began. "Thank you for coming to our little show, I see some new faces in the audience, and some old ones. We hope you enjoy it." With that, Dr. Blood exited the stage, and the curtain rose.

Music began playing. "Music to eat by?" Nathan thought. It was a piece by Vivaldi. As the lights rose on the center of the stage, a group of five men and five women stood on a riser fashioned to look like a mountain. Suddenly, chanting filled the air. The lights lit the entire stage suddenly and the stage was filled with hundreds of people surrounding the mountain. The people were dressed in rags as beggars. Nathan wondered if it was just for the show or if the people were truly poor. Smoke encircled them as one of the female vampires stepped forward.

"I am the Goddess Gaia. Who will be my first victim?"

The people suddenly started chanting. "Me. Me. Choose me, Goddess; choose me."

As the Gaia tried to choose, the people started chanting, "Gaia, Gaia, Gaia."

Finally, Gaia chose a young man, pulling him up on the mountain with her. She turned him so the audience could get a good look at him. Gaia simply said, "The first victim." And the whole audience cheered. Gaia embraced the young man. Everyone was quiet as she did so, so that a sickening crack could be heard. Nathan was sure she must have broken the young man's ribs. She bore her fangs and sunk them into the young man's neck, drank her fill, and tossed the body aside. She faced the audience with blood dripping down her chin as everyone cheered.

Then, the stage became a virtual bloodbath as all the vampires joined in, feasting away. The sound of ripping flesh, breaking bones, and slurping of blood filled the air. Nathan was shocked; he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He suddenly wondered what Kristin was thinking. He looked down the row of chairs to where she was sitting, and to his surprise, she seemed to be enjoying the gruesome scene. She was cheering right along with everyone else.

Nathan disgustedly turned his eyes back to the stage. He watched as Gaia chose one victim after the next. She was probably the most interesting one to watch because she truly made the feast theatrical. She grabbed one victim and broke his neck, practically severing his head from his body, causing a spray of blood to shoot from the artery. She then reached in and plucked out his heart, still beating in her hand. As the blood trickled down her arms, she held the organ over her mouth and let the blood drip into her mouth.

And, the feast continued like this. But, as the last victim was finished, the vampires suddenly stopped. Some attendants in white clothing came out, collars in hand. Each vampire was fitted with his or her collar and taken off stage. Then, Dr. Blood took the stage once again.

"Well, I hope you've enjoyed our little show." And everyone cheered once again. "Please come again." And with that, the house lights came up and everyone started leaving.

Of course, Nathan, Kristin, and the GELF's stayed seated until Dr. Blood came to get them. Soon, they were all back in the state room.

"So, what did you think of our show?" he asked.

"Well, it was interesting," Nathan said.

"Yes, well, actually, I was speaking to your vampire friends. Do you think you'd like to live here?"

Antonio said, "I think this is the only place that will accept us for who we are."

Dr. Blood smiled. "Wonderful. Well, I suppose you should say goodbye to your friends then, and then, we'll pick out your coffins. I'll give you some time alone."

And, so Nathan said goodbye to them and turned to Kristin. "I'll give you sometime alone?"

Kristin nodded. So Nathan waited patiently as she and Antonio said goodbye, or at least Nathan thought that was what she was saying. When she finished, she went up to him and said, "Nathan, I've changed my mind. I'm not leaving."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Nathan stared at Kristin in disbelief. "Kristin, you don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," she said. "Antonio loves me, Nathan. I can't just leave him like this."

"What about your work? What about Lucas? What about Darwin? What about-" He was about to say, 'me', but Kristin cut him off.

"Well, I'll have my things sent over," she said. "Antonio says that the doctor would like to offer me a position working here. And, I'll call Lucas on occasion; I doubt Darwin will miss me all that much. Levin can take over until the UEO can find a replacement."

"So, it's just like that?" Nathan asked.

Kristin nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is. Look, Nathan, I'm sorry."

"Do _you_ love him?"

"What?"

"You said he loves you. Do _you_ love him? Do you really think you can be happy here? The next time I see you, will you be one of..._them_?"

Kristin just looked at him. Nathan thought he detected a small look of regret in her eyes...maybe even fear, but it quickly disappeared as she said, "I think it's time for you to go. Call me sometime?" And with that, she turned and walked back across the room into Antonio's waiting arms.

And so, Nathan had little choice but to return to _seaQuest_ alone; Kristin had made her choice, and there was no changing her mind. Once the launch reconnected with _seaQuest_, Nathan mentally prepared what he was going to tell the other crew members. As expected, he received many confused, questioning looks as to the whereabouts of their beloved doctor.

He'd already decided he would be making a boatwide announcement over the PA system. However, he felt the need to inform Dr. Levin of his new position first. After doing so, Nathan made his announcement. After doing so, Nathan went to check on Lucas.

Nathan knocked on his door. "It's open," Lucas said.

"Hey, Kiddo," Nathan said. "How you doing?"

"Is it true? Is she really gone?"

Nathan nodded. "I'm afraid so, Lucas."

"How could she do that? How could she just _leave_?"

"I just think she was looking for something more," Nathan said. No one else knew of Kristin's affair with Antonio, and Nathan was not about to badmouth her behind her back.

"You mean she was unhappy here?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, she wasn't unhappy here. I just think she wanted a change."

"You should have tried to stop her."

"I did."

"Not hard enough."

"Now wait just a minute, Lucas. Dr. Westphalen is a grown woman; I can't just order her around. She is free to make her own decisions. She told me to tell you she's sorry."

"Why couldn't _she_ tell me that in person?" Lucas asked angrily.

Nathan sighed. He wished he knew what to say to help Lucas understand. _Kristin_ would have known what to say; she always did.

"She says she's going to call you."

"When?" Lucas asked hopefully. "Later today?"

"Her exact words were, 'I'll call on occasion.' "

Lucas' face fell. "Oh."

"I'm sure she'll call when she gets settled in," Nathan tried to reassure him.

"Yeah. Whatever," Lucas said miserably. "Look, Cap. Do you mind leaving me alone? I need some time to think."

"Uh, sure," Nathan said. "I guess I'll see you later then? If you want to talk, you know where to find me."

"Yeah," Lucas said. "Thanks."

With that, Nathan left the room, closing the door behind him. Nathan walked to his own quarters, not knowing what else to do. Normally, when he needed someone to talk to or advice, he would go to Kristin. But, she wasn't there anymore. She was gone. The realization suddenly hit him, and he felt very much alone just then.

**In **_**Savage Garden**_

Kristin was in her new room with Antonio.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left yet," she said.

"What do you mean? You want us to be apart?" Antonio asked, giving her nipping kisses down her neck.

"N-no," Kristin said, "but, I think I'm going to be lonely here."

"What do you mean? You'll have me, My Darling."

"I-I know," Kristin said, pushing him away gently.

"What's wrong?'

"N-nothing, but maybe it would be nice if we just talked."

"I thought that's what you were doing,"

"Yes, but how can I be sure if you're listening if you're busy kissing my neck?"

"I thought you liked my affections."

"I-I do. M-maybe I just need some time. This is a lot to get used to."

"Fine," Antonio said, getting up to leave. "I'll just see you later then?"

"What?"

"At the show, remember? Dr. Blood told me I'd be featured in the show tonight." There were several shows every day at Savage Garden to ensure that all the vampires got to eat. "You said you'd come see it."

"Oh, right," Kristin said.

"You forgot. I can't believe you." He was obviously angry as he walked to the door.

"I'm sorry," Kristin said, but the only answer she received was the shutting of the door.

She didn't blame Antonio for being upset with her, and she knew Nathan was upset as well. She suddenly realized she never should have stayed; the _seaQuest_ was her home, not this place. She put her head in her hands and cried miserably.

Kristin didn't know how long she'd been crying when she heard a knock at the door. "Just a minute," she said, quickly rushing to the bathroom to see how she looked. Indeed, she looked a fright, her eyes red and her face puffy from crying. She blew her nose, splashed some cool water on her face, and dried it with a towel. She looked in the mirror once again, deciding she at least looked presentable and rushed to answer the door.

"Dr. Curry," she said when she opened the door. "What a surprise. Come in."

"Thank you, but please call me Dr. Blood," he said as he entered the room.

"Alright, Dr. Blood. Tell me, what can I do for you?"

Dr. Blood laughed softly. "Well, it's more of a matter of what you can do for me."

"Oh?" Kristin said, expecting Dr. Blood to give her an assignment of some sort.

Dr. Blood snapped his fingers. Two very large men entered the room, each grabbing one of Kristin's arms.

Kristin immediately began to struggle and protest. "Excuse me? Get your hands off me. What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but it seems we have a slight problem here."

"What?" Kristin asked, not understanding.

"You've been nominated, My Dear," Dr. Blood said matter-of-factly. "Take her to the dungeon."

"No!" Kristin screamed. "This is not what I wanted."

"Oh, don't worry. You'll change your mind soon enough," Dr. Blood promised.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_**Savage Garden **_**Dungeon**

Kristin had struggled all the way to the dungeons, but it was no use. The two men pushed her roughly into a cell and locked the door behind her. Kristin was trapped. Although she had a room to herself, it certainly wasn't built for comfort. The room was merely the size of a large closet, with only a small window with bars on it in the top of the door. She couldn't see any of the other prisoners; even if she could, there was little light. A small light bulb hung in the middle of the room, but it kept flickering on and off. There was a small bed, but no blankets and a toilet in the corner of the room. And, it was freezing.

"Maybe I'll freeze to death," Kristin thought miserably as she sat down on the bed and began to cry. She had thrown everything away, and now look where she was. She knew that freezing to death would be better than the fate that she was about to meet.

As she sobbed, she heard footsteps stop in front of her door. "Hello, Kristin," she heard a familiar male voice say. "Tsk-tsk. Don't cry."

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to peer through the small window, but not being able to see the person very well in the dark hallway.

The voice laughed slightly. "Oh, you know me; you know me very well," the voice said in a sinister manner.

Kristin was still confused. She knew she'd heard the voice before, but she just couldn't place it. "Would you mind stepping into the light? I can't see you."

"Soon," he said. "Tell me, why are you crying?"

"Because I've thrown everything away to come here, and now I've been..._nominated_," she said with a slight quiver in her voice.

"Yes, I know. It's all part of the game, unfortunately."

"W-what did you _say_?" Kristin asked in fear as she was now starting to realize whose voice it was.

"Hehehe," the figure laughed cruelly now. "What's the matter, my Dear? Don't you like this game?"

Kristin moved away from the window and pressed her back against the door. Her head was spinning. She couldn't believe who she was speaking to. This _had_ to be a dream.

"You can't run, my Dear."

"I-I thought you were in prison," Kristin said.

"I was, but someone helped me to escape, someone who wanted my help-Dr. Blood."

"Well, what does that have to do with me exactly?" Kristin asked, her voice trembling as her fear continued to heighten.

"Revenge. You see, since I saw you last...well, you know what happened. But, I certainly couldn't leave the game at that. I couldn't let _you_ win, could I?"

Kristin said nothing as he continued.

"I suppose I ought to tell you that everything you've learned in the past few days has been an illusion. Antonio, Gabrielle, Sonja, and Danielle were never in need of _seaQuest's _assistance. They're residents of _Savage Garden_ and have been for years."

"You're lying," Kristin said, nearly in tears.

"That's what I expected you to say, but I can assure you I'm not. It's only because we made you believe it. You see, you were nominated months ago. This was all part of the plot to lure you here."

"No," Kristin said through her tears, willing him to stop.

"I'm sorry, but you really need to hear this," he said, "at least before you die. Oh, but don't worry; you'll be alive for at least a week. It takes that long for my serum to take it's full effect.. Plus, you didn't think I'd let you go through this alone, did you? I have other pawns in my game-like your beloved captain. We can't leave him out, can we?" he said.

"You leave him alone," Kristin said through clenched teeth, tears running down her face.

"Oh, I can't, I just can't wait to see his face when he sees you up on that stage, begging to be a victim to Antonio."

Kristin covered her ears. "Please stop."

"Why? Because you can't believe Antonio doesn't really love you? That it was all an act? Well, I'm sorry, but it was all part of the game."

Kristin began pounding on the wall as she screamed through her tears. "You're lying! You're lying! You're lying!" she screamed over and over again..

"You need to calm down," he said. "Or I'll have to come in there. You don't want that, do you?"

Kristin _did _will herself to stop screaming, but only because she didn't want that mad man in the same room with her.

"Good girl," he said. "And, I'm really sorry for nominating you," he added.

"You?" Kristin asked.

"Yes, well, when Dr. Blood first brought me to _Savage Garden_, of course he wanted me for my biochemical talents. Up until then, victims for the facility were harder to come by. But, not anymore. So, once my serum was devoloped, I couldn't get you out of my mind. I just _had _to see you again. And, I wanted to see you die...just like your brother."

"Nathan will never let you get away with this," Kristin said, her voice barely above a whisper now since she was crying once again.

"That's exactly what I am hoping for; that would fall perfectly into my plan, you see. It's all part of my game, and you played right along. You were such an _easy_ target; I knew you'd feel sorry for them as soon as you met them. Little did you know that _you_ were the one in need of help. And, Antonio seducing you was the icing on the cake." He laughed menacingly. "That was _his_ idea, you know?"

Kristin cried a bit harder in response, unable to speak.

"Oh, there, there," he said. "Don't cry; it will all be over soon. Well, I really should be going now. I have a phone call to make. Don't worry; I'll tell the captain you said hello."

Through her tears, Kristin managed to choke out the words, "Go to hell, Zellar."

"Hehehe," he laughed. "You really are a frisky one, aren't you? I can't wait to see Antonio drink you dry." With that, Zellar walked away, his footsteps echoing as he did.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_**Savage Garden **_**Dungeon**

As soon as Zellar left her, Kristin found herself sobbing uncontrollably due to what she had just learned. "I can't believe how _stupid_ I was," she muttered to herself through her tears. And, to top things off, she started shivering. It was so _damn_ cold in there. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm as she cried. After a while, she calmed down, feeling empty and exhausted. She sat down on the bed, hoping it might be warmer, but it wasn't. "Well, I've made my bed," she said to herself, "and now I have to lie in it." And, with that, she tried to get some sleep.

She must have fallen asleep because someone was rudely trying to lure her out of bed. As she sat up, she began coughing.

"Kristin?" she heard Antonio say.

"Go away," she said.

"Keep your voice down; I'm not supposed to be here."

Kristin coughed again.

"You're sick," he said.

"What do _you_ care?" she said.

"Look, Kristin, I came here to apologize."

"_Apologize_? Oh, _now_ you decide to find your conscience?" she asked, coughing once again.

"H-here," he said, pushing a blanket through the window. "I know you must be freezing; I'm sure that's why you're sick."

Kristin wasn't about to forgive him, but she accepted the blanket gratefully. "Thank you," she muttered, as she opened it and wrapped it around herself, "but I'm certainly not about to forgive you for what you've done. How could you _do_ this to me? I thought you _cared _about me. And, now I find out it's all a lie, that it was an act."

"Look, Kristin, I know that what I did was inexplicable. From the moment you met us, you were our advocate; you never once faltered. You defended us so many times; that's something that Dr. Blood told us would _never _happen. He taught us that the outside world was cruel and that we would never be accepted."

"So, you've always lived in _Savage Garden_?" Kristin asked.

"No, the story I told you wasn't a lie. We all used to be human until the scientists came to Blackwood. But, _one _of the scientists _did_ survive the uprising. Dr. Blood, well Dr. Curry at the time, helped us to escape. We knew we had to leave the country, so we came here. He was the only one who would help us for a long time. He helped us eat, made sure we weren't discovered. After Dr. Zellar came, it was easier to find willing victims. Dr. Blood told us that other humans, in their right minds, would never accept us nor allow us to drink from them," Antonio said. "But, you showed me that wasn't true."

"So, you just thought you'd help Dr. Zellar to show me how much you appreciated it?" Kristin said sarcastically, coughing again.

"Are you getting warmer?" Antonio asked before he explained.

"Y-yes," Kristin answered.

"I'm glad," Antonio said. "And, I agreed to help Zellar before I knew you, before I knew how kind you were, before I knew what a wonderful person you were. And, Kristin, I am so sorry. You have to believe me."

Kristin wasn't sure what to say. "Well, I just hope, for your sake, that you are," she said. "But, your apology doesn't really help me at the moment."

"I know," Antonio said. "But, if you're willing, I _can _help you."

"H-how? Why?"

"Well, let's just call it my way of admitting I was wrong and trying to atone for that. But, you need to listen and do everything I say, understand?"

Kristin coughed again. "Y-yes."

"First of all, don't eat or drink _anything_ they give you; it's drugged. Dump it down the toilet or something, but _don't _get caught. Don't worry; you won't starve. I'll bring you food and drink when I can. Secondly, the injections."

"When do they start?" Kristin asked.

"I would think they would have started already, but I've already messed with the serum; yours will just be a placebo. They don't know it, though. But, you have to _pretend_."

"What type of reaction am I _supposed_ to have?"

"Dr. Zellar's makes one forget how he or she came to _Savage Garden_ in the first place. Not only that, you will become a willing participant no matter what they ask of you. You cannot falter on this even once."

"Alright," Kristin said. "Let's say I do what you ask. What happens when I play along and I'm on that stage? Am I supposed to just tell you to kill me like the others did?"

Antonio sighed. "You'll have to pretend there too. Can you trust me?"

Kristin thought for a moment. She didn't think she could trust anyone here after what happened, but she didn't know how else she would get back to _seaQuest_. "I don't have much of a choice," she answered, coughing once again.

"I'll see if I can bring you some cough medicine when I bring you something to eat," Antonio said.

Kristin coughed again in response. "How about antibiotics?"

"It's that bad?"

"I'm a doctor, remember? Unfortunately, I believe it's a lung infection, possibly pneumonia. This fact that it's freezing in here doesn't help. Tell me, is it their goal to make all the victims ill?"

"I don't think they really care. I'll see what I can find," he promised. "Oh, and make sure you hide that blanket when you hear them coming."

Kristin laughed slightly. "There aren't many places in here for that, but I'll manage."

"Well, anyway," Antonio said, "when we're on stage, I'll be sure not to kill you. You'll just have to act that way."

"Alright," she said. "What about Nathan? They're planning to get him here, you know?"

"I know," Antonio said. "Once he gets here, I'll have to find a way to tell him the truth."

"Why can't I-"

"No," Antonio interrupted. "You _cannot_ get out of character, even once, even if you are alone with him for some reason. But, it's too much of a risk. If you're discovered, they'll kill you...and possibly him as well. I'm sorry, but it's for the best."

"Alright," Kristin said, not particularly liking it, but knowing Antonio was right.

"Well, I suppose I should go," Antonio said. "I'll come back later. Try and get some rest."

"Thank you for helping me, Antonio," Kristin said gratefully.

"It's the least I can do, Kristin."

And with that, he was gone. Kristin just stood there for a few moments, reflecting on what Antonio had said. Then, she went back to the bed to lie down, wrapping the blanket around her and feeling happy to be warm.

_**seaQuest **_**Bridge**

"Captain, you've a call from an external link," Tim O'Neill informed Nathan.

"Who's it from?" Nathan asked.

"I'm not sure, Sir. It's coming from Siberia."

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was Kristin. "I'll take it in my quarters. Thank you, Mr. O'Neill. Ford, you have the bridge."

"Aye, Sir," Nathan heard Ford's reply as he headed to his quarters. Once there, Nathan hit the vid-link screen button. "Bridger," he said.

"Captain," Dr. Blood said. "How nice to see you again."

Nathan felt disappointed that it was not Kristin after all. "Doctor, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you might be able to do us a favor."

"Us?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, well, my associate here-he tells me that you and he are old friends, and he'd like to see you." Zellar came into view of the screen at that moment.

"Zellar?" Nathan said with both shock and anger in his voice. "What the _hell_ are you doing there? I thought we took care of you."

"Oh, Captain, the key word is 'thought'," Zellar said. "But, that's also your downfall."

"Look, I really don't have time for riddles here," Nathan said, rather annoyed.

"Fine, we'll just cut to the chase then, hm?" Zellar said. "Well, I'm sure you are wondering about your dear Kristin. She's fine, for now."

"You stay away from her Zellar," Nathan warned.

Zellar laughed cruelly. "I'm afraid it's too late for that, Captain," Zellar said as he picked a vial up from a nearby desk. He made sure Nathan could see it as he squirted a bit of the contests out for effect. "_This_," he said, waving the vial around, "is all part of the game."

Nathan turned to Dr. Blood. "Doctor, do you realize who this man is?"

"Captain, I know of Dr. Zellar's past, but he has helped _us_ tremendously. I'm only following the rules. Dr. Westphalen was nominated."

"Who the _hell_ would do that to her?" Nathan demanded.

He was met with another evil laugh by Zellar. "Someone who wanted to watch her suffer," Zellar answered.

"I can't believe you," Nathan said, lunging at the screen.

"Calm down, Captain. We haven't hurt her yet. We're waiting for you. Don't worry; we'll give you a chance to save her," Zellar said.

"Done," Nathan said. "I can be on a launch in twenty."

"Captain?" Zellar said.

"Yes?"

"You come _alone_."

"Understood," Nathan answered. "Bridger out."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_**seaQuest**_

As a launch was being prepared, Nathan quickly stopped at Lucas' room. He knocked.

"Come in," Lucas said.

Nathan entered and said, "Hey, Kiddo."

"Hi," Lucas said. "Have you heard from Dr. Westphalen?" he asked eagerly.

Nathan shook his head. "Not exactly, but that's why I'm here as well."

Lucas gave him a confused look.

"Look, Lucas. I have to leave. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but I want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I bring the doctor back with me."

"Is she alright?" Lucas asked with concern.

"She might be in trouble," Nathan admitted.

"Well, let me go with you. I can help."

Nathan shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lucas, but you can't. I wish I could explain more, but I can't right now. I have to do this _alone_-and don't think this has anything to do with your age. I have strict instructions," Nathan explained.

"Instructions? From who?" Lucas inquired.

"Lucas, I'll explain more when I get back. I'm sorry, but I have to go. Behave yourself." And with that, the captain was gone, leaving a very confused Lucas behind.

_**Savage Garden**_** Dungeon**

Kristin was still sleeping when Drs. Blood and Zellar headed towards her room. Kristin began stirring just as the key turned in the lock. She quickly shot up and stuffed the blanket under the bed, hoping they wouldn't discover it.

As they entered the room, Dr. Blood said, "Wakey, wakey, dear."

Kristin winced slightly at the needle Dr. Zellar was holding. "Remember to struggle," Kristin thought to herself. Then she had another sudden thought, "What if Antonio hadn't managed to change the serum after all? Or what if the doctors discovered it?" These thoughts only compelled her to be able to struggle more as Dr. Blood held her down. Kristin fought very well, but, being ill, she quickly lost strength as she felt the needle enter her arm.

"Just a little pinch," Zellar said, as the he injected the serum into her. He removed the needle from her arm and said, "There. Soon, you'll realize this is for the best."

Kristin said nothing as Dr. Blood stepped outside the room for a moment and returned with a tray holding a plate of food and water. "I'm sure you'll feel better once you eat."

"Thank you," Kristin muttered quietly. She hoped they wouldn't want to _watch_ her eat since she remembered Antonio's warning. She was also relieved _not_ to be feeling any effects of medication, so she deduced that Antonio _had_ succeeded.

"Well, aren't you going to eat?" Dr. Blood asked.

"I-I'm actually not hungry at the moment. I haven't been feeling very well," Kristin replied, coughing.

"Hm, it sounds like pneumonia," Dr. Zellar commented. "I can hear your wheezing. Tsk-tsk. What a shame! Well, we can't have you _dying _on us. I suppose we can get you some antibiotics," he said, looking at Dr. Blood.

"Dr. Zellar, that's highly irregular," Dr. Blood began, but the warning look on Zellar's face made him change his mind. "Yes, we can't have her dying before the show, hm? We'll find you some antibiotics."

With that, the two left. Kristin wasn't sure when they'd be back, but she figured it would be soon. Even though she was freezing, she opted to leave the blanket in its hiding place until she was sure she was alone. She was also _starving_, and it was difficult for her to smell the food and _not _eat it. She sat down on the bed and tried to ignore it.

A few short minutes later, Dr. Blood reappeared with a couple of white pills. "Here," he said. "Dr. Zellar says this should clear up whatever's ailing you."

Kristin accepted the pills gratefully. "Thank you," she said.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you. Please try to eat; it will help you."

"I'll try," Kristin said as he closed the door and locked it behind him.

As soon as she was sure she was alone, Kristin popped the pills into her mouth and swallowed. She then took the glass of water and poured it into the toilet. She took the plate of food and repeated. "Oh, I hope Antonio comes soon," she said to herself as she laid back down on the bed.

_**Savage Garden**_** Reception Area **

Nathan waited patiently in the same reception room he'd waited in the first time he'd been to _Savage Garden_. And, just like the first time, Dr. Blood was late. He paced impatiently. Finally, the doorknob began to turn. To Nathan's surprise, it wasn't Dr. Blood or even Dr. Zellar, but rather Antonio.

"What do _you_ want?" Nathan asked, obviously not pleased to see him.

"Captain, I _know _I'm the last person you want to see, but I need to explain something to you," Antonio began.

"I don't have to listen to anything you have to say. It's because of you that she's in this mess in the first place," Nathan said.

"Captain, please," Antonio pleaded. "I'm on your side."

Nathan sighed. "Alright," he said.

"You're right," Antonio said. "If it weren't for me, Kristin wouldn't be here. I'm sorry. I was paid to help plan this elaborate hoax, but that was_ before _I got to know her. I thought that if Dr. Zellar had a vendetta against her, that she she had to be some horrible woman. But, I found out that was far from the case, and I began to feel guilty. And, I know this doesn't make up for it now, but, now I am doing my best to help her. So, I've come up with a plan."

"And how do I know this isn't part of your scheme as well?" Nathan asked.

"You don't. But, you don't have much of a choice but to trust me, the way I see it. If you don't, Kristin will die. I've already done what I could by altering the serum that would be injected into her. The serum is supposed to make victims believe they want to be our victims. Kristin will be getting a placebo. But, she must act as though she was given the real thing, even around you. You understand she can't break character, or it may mean her demise...and yours as well."

Nathan nodded.

"The serum should take a week to work. In a week's time, she will appear in the show. If all goes as planned, I am supposed to be the vampire to take her life. I promise you I _won't_ kill her, but I have to take a great amount of blood, enough to make her unconscious."

"What happens after that?" Nathan asked.

"You need to ask for the body, for proper burial," Antonio explained. "I don't believe they'll deny you."

Antonio suddenly looked towards the door. "I have to go; they're coming. We'll speak later, Captain. I promised Kristin I would talk to you."

As Antonio started to leave, Nathan said, "Antonio?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Thank you."

Antonio nodded and quickly left the room.

As Antonio predicted, a few moments later, Dr. Blood entered the room.

"Captain Bridger," he greeted Nathan. "How wonderful to see you again."

"You can forget the formalities, Doctor. You know very well why I'm here. Was Zellar too much of a coward to show up?"

"Of course not, Captain. I'm right here," Zellar said, entering the room. "I'm so glad you came."

"Where's Kristin?" Nathan demanded.

Zellar laughed evilly. "Oh, don't worry. You'll see her in time. I think you'll be surprised with the change in her."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll see," Zellar smiled cruelly. "You'll see."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_**Savage Garden**_** Dungeon**

Kristin began to feel worse. Being a doctor, she recognized side effects from different medications. However, the way she was feeling seemed beyond side effects. The tiny room was spinning, and she felt nauseous. Somehow, the made her way across the room to the bed. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to vomit.

Kristin wasn't sure how long she'd been lying there when she heard a knock at the door.

"Kristin?" Antonio whispered. "Are you awake?"

Kristin tried to get up, but she couldn't. "Yes," she replied weakly.

Suddenly, she heard the lock turn. Antonio entered, carrying a tray of food. "I stole a key. I hope you're hungry." Then, he noticed how awful Kristin looked. "I brought you some medication too."

"No," Kristin said. "Dr. Zellar already gave me something; he said he didn't want me dying on them before the show."

"You actually _took_ something they gave you?" Antonio asked in surprise. "I told you _not_ to."

"Well, I didn't eat or drink anything," Kristin replied in her own defense. "But, now I feel like hell."

"That's because I'm sure they _didn't_ give you antibiotics," Antonio answered. "What are your symptoms?"

"Weakness, nausea...and I think I see two of you. And, I _wish _this room would stop spinning."

Antonio shook his head sadly. "Probably gamma hydroxybutyric."

"_Date rape drug_?" Kristin confirmed. "Why?"

"They use it quite often, actually," Antonio explained. "When someone is first injected with the serum, it takes a while for it to altar the person's behavior. That's why they use GHB; it stops the victims from fighting until the serum kicks in."

Kristin couldn't believe it. She'd allowed Zellar to trick her yet again. "Oh my God! I can't believe how incredibly _stupid_ I am."

Antonio sat down on the bed next to her and sighed. "You're _not_ stupid," he said, trying to reassure her, "_I _am; I never should have gotten you into this mess."

"If _you_ wouldn't have, Zellar would have just found someone else to do his bidding," Kristin said. "I'm just glad it _was_ you; anyone else probably wouldn't have given me a second thought."

Antonio nodded. She had a point. "Well, let's just worry about carrying out our plan now. You know the captain's here now."

"He is?" Kristin asked hopefully.

"Yes, but remember what I _told_ you. If you want to stay alive, you need to listen to everything I say _from now on_."

"You needn't worry there," Kristin told him. "I don't think I'll ever make the mistake of trusting Zellar again."

"Good," Antonio said. "You know, since you're not going to eat, I'll just take this tray. I'll come check on you again later. I have a feeling they'll be bringing Nathan to see you very soon."

Kristin nodded. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"Well, at least you won't have to pretend this time. Just remember not to break character, even if you think you're _alone_ with him," Antonio warned.

"I promise," Kristin said groggily. The drugs had begun to take their full effect, and she found herself slowly slipping out of consciousness. She barely heard the door close as Antonio left.

_**Savage Garden**_** Guest Quarters**

Dr. Zellar brought Nathan to the guest quarters. While walking through the corridors, Nathan kept an eye out for Kristin. Unfortunately, he didn't see her, and he wondered when he would.

"I trust you'll find everything satisfactory," Zellar commented, motioning around the room.

Nathan nodded. "It's fine," Nathan said, setting his bag down on the bed.

"Well, then if there's nothing else-"

"Wait a minute,"Nathan interrupted. "What about Kristin?"

"What about her?" Zellar asked innocently, as if he didn't know what Nathan wanted.

"I want to see her," Nathan demanded, "and I _won't_ take 'no' for an answer."

"Now, now, Captain. Don't get testy. You didn't give me a chance to finish. I was just going to give you a chance to freshen up."

Nathan grew more frustrated every time Zellar spoke, but he tried to control his anger. "That won't be necessary. Just take me to see her."

"As you wish," Zellar answered with a sinister smile. "Right this way."

_**Savage Garden**_** Dungeon**

Zellar led Nathan down a winding staircase to the damp, cold dungeon. Nathan couldn't believe it. He never dreamed they'd keep Kristin like she was a _prisoner_. Although he knew he couldn't do it, he imagined all the ways to kill Zellar on the way to Kristin's cell.

Once they reached the door, Zellar turned to Nathan. "Now you must promise me you won't try anything funny. I can promise you I can have you killed in moments if you do."

"I promise," Nathan said through clenched teeth.

"Very well, then," Zellar said, smiling evilly once again. He put the key into the lock and turned. "Rise and shine," he said as he opened the door.

Nathan expected to see Kristin smiling, happy to see him. Instead, she was lying on the bed, and she looked sick. He tried to rush to her side. However, Zellar anticipated what Nathan was about to do, and stood between them. "Ah, ah, ah," Zellar said, shaking a finger back and forth. "No physical contact, please. It would make me feel..._uncomfortable_."

"It would make _you_ uncomfortable? Nathan asked. He motioned towards Kristin, but he didn't go over to her. "What about what _she's_ feeling?"

As if on cue, Kristin woke up, coughing deeply. She tried to sit up, but the room was still spinning.

"Oh, I'm glad you're awake, my Dear," Zellar said, ignoring Nathan's question. "Get up; you have company."

Kristin attempted to sit up once again, but she couldn't. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on the figure standing on the other side of the room, but everything was blurry.

"Kristin?" Nathan asked. "Are you alright?" she heard Nathan's voice ask.

_Nathan_. If she were anywhere else, Kristin would have jumped for joy. Of course, with the way she felt, jumping was out of the question. Hell, _standing_ was out of the question at the moment.

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she replied weakly.

"Get up," Zellar urged once again. "Don't be rude."

Kristin willed herself to sit up once again. "Remember to _act_," Kristin thought. "Don't break character." These thoughts compelled her to finally have the strength to sit up.

"Good girl," Zellar said.

Kristin tried to focus on Nathan's blurry face. Zellar allowed Nathan to get a bit closer to her. "Hello, Nathan," she said. Then, she coughed deeply for several seconds.

"You're not fine," Nathan insisted. "You're sick."

Kristin laughed. "Don't be silly, Nathan. It's just a cold. Dr. Zellar gave me some medicine. He's such a _sweet_ man, isn't he?"

Nathan nearly choked hearing Kristin's words. He looked at Zellar questioningly.

The look on Nathan's face made Zellar laugh cruelly. After a few moments, he was finally able to regain his composure. "What's the matter, Captain? You look as though you've seen a ghost."

"What the _hell_ did you do to her?" Nathan asked accusingly.

Zellar gave him a look of mock hurt. "Captain, how could you _say_ that? Why would you think I would ever do _anything _to her?"

Nathan felt his anger return with a vengence. "Goddamn it, Zellar! Don't play dumb with me! I know you've given her something. Haven't you done enough to her?"

Zellar laughed once again. "Alright, Captain. You're right. I did give her something, but it's for the best. This way, she won't feel any pain. You see; I can be merciful."

"You call holding her against her will _merciful_? You call murdering thousands of innocent people _merciful_? You have no idea what mercy is." Nathan pointed towards Kristin. "_She_, however, does. She could have killed you months ago, but she didn't. _That's_ mercy."

Zellar laughed at the memory. "It's also _weak_. She _should _have killed me. Then, she wouldn't be in this mess, would she? That's part of the game, you see. Always anticipate the opponent's next move. I guess she didn't anticipate this."

Nathan cast a worried glance at Kristin. She looked as though she was having a hard time distinguishing what was going on. "Kristin, if you can understand me, I am going to make sure you get out of this mess. Do you hear me?"

Kristin heard, but she couldn't answer for fear she would break her cover. She just stared blankly at him, but secretly, she was so happy to hear those words, happy Nathan was still willing to save her after she had hurt him.

Zellar laughed once again. "I'm sorry, Captain, but that _won't_ be happening. Try anything, and you'll end up just like her."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_**Savage Garden **_**Guest Quarters**

Nathan paced his room. He had heard Zellar's warning, but he didn't care. He was trying to devise a plan to get Kristin out of this place...and away from Zellar. He knew what Antonio had said, but he still didn't trust him. For all he knew, Antonio was still working for Zellar and just pretending to be nice. Nathan's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Antonio.

"Can I speak with you?" Antonio asked.

Nathan stepped aside an allowed him to enter. "Kristin's sick," he said.

"I know," Antonio admitted. "I've tried getting her medication, but Zellar got to her first. I made sure she knows not to take anything they give her anymore. I'm going to see her later."

"Is there any way I can get her out of here? If she gets sicker, would they bring her to a hospital?"

Antonio laughed. "I'm sorry, Captain, but do you really think that's likely? Why bring her to a hospital when they plan to kill her?"

Nathan knew he might have been grabbing at straws, but he had to ask. He just nodded.

"I know I'm the last person you want to put your faith in, but I am telling you the truth. The only way to save her is to wait for the show. If all goes as planned, I will be the vampire to...well, you know. I promise you I won't kill her. I will only make it look that way. And, you should be able to leave with her body," Antonio explained.

Nathan nodded. It was the same plan Antonio had told him earlier. If he could truly trust Antonio, then it should be foolproof. But, there was a small seed of doubt. Nathan slowly pushed it aside, however.

"Alright," Nathan replied. "I suppose I haven't much of a choice."

Antonio laughed softly. "That's exactly what Kristin said."

"I'm sure she did. And she trusts you?"

Antonio nodded. "I really am sorry. It started out as a job, just like any other. I never knew I'd get this close to her. I didn't know I'd actually start to _care_ about her."

Nathan was slightly taken aback. "You're not...in love with her, are you?" he asked nervously.

Antonio shook his head. "No, I'm confident she's only in love with one man, and it's not me. But, I care about her as a friend. I want you to know I used my power to seduce her; she wasn't exactly acting on her own will."

"I appreciate you telling me that," Nathan replied, relieved by the fact Antonio had no romantic feelings towards Kristin.

"And, I am sorry I came up with the seduction plan. It was all before I even knew any of you, really. I know this can't make up for what I've done, but I want to try," Antonio said sincerely.

Nathan quietly analyzed him for a moment, trying to decide if he was truly being sincere. The look on Antonio's face truly was remorseful. "I will trust you," Nathan told him, "but you better not give me a reason to regret it either."

"I promise that won't happen," Antonio said. He looked at the clock. "I would think it's safe to go see Kristin; would you like to go?"

Nathan nodded eagerly. He at least wanted to see her.

"But, remember, she has to pretend as though she doesn't care you're here, that she doesn't care about her death," Antonio explained. "It's just for precautions."

"I understand," Nathan said. He didn't care, as long as he could see her.

Give me a few minutes, and I'll come back for you.

_**Savage Garden**_** Dungeon**

Once Antonio returned, he led Nathan back down to the dungeon. Antonio was carrying a tray of food. Nathan deduced it was obviously for Kristin.

"I found some antibiotics for her too," Antonio informed him.

"I'm relieved to hear that. She sounds like she's got pneumonia."

"That's what she thinks," Antonio said. Then he added, "I'm sorry."

Nathan nodded. The two walked in silence the rest of the way to her room.

Antonio slowly turned the lock. "It's just me," he said as he opened the door, "and the Captain."

Nathan was definitely relieved to see that Kristin seemed more coherent.

"Hello, Nathan," she said, showing little emotion.

"Hello," Nathan replied.

For Kristin, pretending she didn't care that Nathan was standing in front of her was hell. But, she managed to hide her emotions well. "Is that for me?" she asked, referring to the tray of food.

Antonio nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished," she confirmed. She then broke into a coughing fit.

"And," Antonio handed her a bottle of pills, "I brought you these."

She nodded, trying to regain her composure. "Thank you."

For a few moments, the two men just watched her eat. Nathan tried to read what she was truly feeling. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.

Kristin was quiet for a moment while Nathan stared into her eyes. And, to his relief, he saw exactly what he was hoping to see-a hint of love, a hint of pain, and a hint of longing. Kristin cooly replied. "I'm fine, Nathan."

"I'm glad to hear that," Nathan said, hoping he conveyed more than that to her through his eyes as well.

The rest of the time together was clothed in silence until Antonio finally said, "Well, I suppose we ought to go now. We'll see you tomorrow then?"

Kristin nodded. Then she whispered a low, "Thank you."

Antonio gave her a quick nod. With that, he and Nathan headed towards the door. Nathan felt something on his arm and looked to see Kristin's hand. He turned to meet her eyes once again. She gently squeezed his arm, and he placed his hand on hers and did the same.

That was enough to cause her eyes to sting with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. Nathan quietly whispered, "This will all be over soon."

Kristin nodded. With that, the two men left, locking the door behind them once again.

Kristin sat down on the bed, and tried to think positive thoughts, tried to think only of the time when she would be out of this living hell. But, thinking of this only caused more bitter tears to fall.

Soon, however, she heard a key turn in the lock once again, so she quickly wiped away her tears and tried to regain her composure. She expected Drs. Blood and Zellar.

But, she was surprised to see Nathan.

"N-nathan," she whispered. "How did you-"

"I stole Antonio's key," he answered, matching her pitch with his voice. "I'm sorry, but I just had to see you. I don't want you to have to pretend anymore."

"Well, I don't _want_ to pretend either, but it's the only way," Kristin said. "You really shouldn't be here. What if-"

"What if you're found out?" the two heard a sinister voice in the doorway.

It was Zellar. He laughed cruelly.

"I warned you, Captain. Well, it looks like you'll _both_ be appearing in the show."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_**Savage Garden**_** Dungeon**

Nathan was so disappointed in himself. He'd let his emotions get in the way of the mission, and it ruined it. Now, he was sure there was no chance of saving Kristin, let alone himself. He was in a cell that looked identical to Kristin's, and, even though it was damp, dark, and cold, all he could think about was how she was doing. To his dismay, his cell was nowhere near Kristin's, so he had no way of knowing.

Kristin _was_ doing well, considering. Of course, she _was_ upset about Nathan being caught, and Dr. Zellar _had_ given her another injection. However, the Fates must have smiled on her because it was still the placebo which Antonio had concocted. Incidentally, neither Dr. Zellar nor Dr. Blood knew about the fact that Antonio was helping Kristin. Kristin realized at that moment that if she and Nathan were going to get out of _Savage Garden _alive, that Antonio was their only hope. It was absolutely _dire_ that no further mistakes were made.

Later that evening, after it was quiet and no visits from Dr. Blood or Dr. Zellar could be expected, Antonio went down to the dungeon. He stopped at Nathan's cell first.

"You had to go and make things more difficult for me, didn't you?" Antonio said. He sounded annoyed, but he had a smile on his face.

"I know," Nathan said miserably. "You don't need to remind me."

Antonio sighed. "I'm not mad; I'd probably would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. But, it _does_ complicate things now. But, you need to follow all of my instructions to the letter from now on, or you and Kristin will never leave this place alive. Do you understand?"

Nathan nodded. "I'll do what I need from now on. I promise you that."

Antonio said, "Good. Now then, you absolutely _cannot_ eat or drink anything they give you. It _will_ be drugged. You'll have to dump it down the toilet when alone. They will probably wait until tomorrow morning, but they are going to inject you with Dr. Zellar's serum. I want you to know that I've already switched it with a placebo, but you need to _act_. They're going to expect you to struggle, and prisoners who get the real serum will eventually comply to their wishes. Do you think you can do that?"

"If I have to," Nathan said with confidence. "Why are you doing this?"

"I thought I already explained that," Antonio said.

"That was your reasons for helping Kristin; I haven't given you any reasons to want to help me. I was rude and untrusting from the start."

Antonio smiled slightly. "That you were, but you had your reasons. Again, I think I would have done the same thing. But, if you really want to know the reason, it's for _her_. I know how she feels about you, and I know she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to you."

"Well, all I can do is thank you, then," Nathan said solemnly.

"You're welcome, but don't thank me yet until this is all over," Antonio replied.

"So, what _is_ the new plan?"

"Well, I hope you're not angry with me, but I had to contact _seaQuest_," Antonio began.

"You did _what_?" Nathan asked a bit more loudly than he'd intended. Antonio motioned for him to speak quieter. "Sorry," Nathan said in a muted tone. "You did what?"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I had to...in case," Antonio explained.

"But the UEO has no jurisdiction here," Nathan started. "Even if they _wanted _to, they couldn't help us."

"That's where you're wrong, Captain," Antonio said. "Sure, they can't help you while on duty, but off duty, it's a different story-because once you and Kristin are pronounced dead, _someone_ needs to collect your bodies. Do you understand?"

Nathan nodded, realizing what Antonio meant. "So who's coming?"

"A small group from your crew have agreed to come and see the show on Saturday. It's all under the table, you understand? They are all taking a bit of shore leave to get around the UEO. The group is as follows: Commander Ford, Commander Hitchcock, Chief Crocker, and Lucas."

"You asked Lucas?" Nathan shouted once again.

"Shhhh," Antonio reminded him. "Is that a problem?"

"I just don't think this is the place Lucas should be," Nathan explained. "He _is_ only seventeen."

"I'm aware of his age, Captain, but the boy insisted. He's very protective of you, you know."

"Yes, I know. So, when are they set to arrive?"

"Not for a couple of days yet, along with the other guests. We have to make it look legitimate."

Nathan nodded. "I understand."

"Well, if you don't mind me being rude, I need to know if you need anything, since I need to go. I need to tell Kristin about all of this; I told you first."

"Well, I appreciate that," Nathan said, "and there's nothing I need; just make sure Kristin has whatever she needs." Then he added, "And, please tell her I'm sorry, and I love her."

"I will, Captain," Antonio said sincerely. "Goodnight." With that, Antonio locked the door behind him and headed to Kristin's cell.

When Antonio appeared in her doorway, she rushed to him. "Oh, is Nathan alright? Have you seen him?" she asked worriedly.

"He's fine; he's fine," Antonio said. "Calm down."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just didn't know what was going on."

"You don't need to apologize; I can understand you were worried, but I just came from his cell. I hope you're not upset that I went to see him first, but I needed to speak with him immediately," Antonio explained. "He needed to know the rules."

Kristin nodded. "I'm not angry; I'm relieved actually. I suppose he's feeling pretty awful right now."

"That he is. He says to tell you he's sorry-and he loves you."

Kristin was silent for a moment. She said a silent, "I love you too, Nathan." as if he could hear her. Then, she said, "So, it doesn't look good for us now, does it?"

"On the contrary," Antonio said. "Do you really think we're going to sit idly by and allow _them _to carry out their evil deed?"

"Well, it's just that it isn't that simple," Kristin said. "As much as we want to prevent it, how can we?"

"Don't worry," Antonio said. "I've called in provisions."

"You have?" Kristin asked in surprise.

Antonio nodded. "Yes, some of your friends from the _seaQuest_ have graciously volunteered to collect your bodies. Don't worry; they won't be violoting any UEO criteria. This is on their _own_ time."

"So, everything's supposed to go the same, except now Nathan and I are both to be your victims. Are you sure you'll be Nathan's vampire too?"

"I've already requested to be. Drs. Blood and Zellar think I have a personal vendetta against him, so they agreed."

"Oh, I could kiss you," Kristin said happily.

Antonio laughed. "I think you ought to save it for Nathan. But, nothing can be compromised from now on, understand?"

Kristin nodded. "I know that now, and I'm sure Nathan does too."

"That, he does," Antonio said.

"Can I ask you something?" Kristin asked.

"What?"

"What would happen to you if you were caught?"

"Well, you know, there are only a few ways a vampire can be killed, but they would arrange my death, surely."

Kristin nodded as Antonio bid her goodnight.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_**Savage Garden**_

For the next several days, Nathan and Kristin were able to continue their charade so as not let Dr. Blood, Dr. Zellar, nor anyone else suspect the truth. Antonio was able to keep helping them, neither of the doctors suspected this either. It seemed as though everything would work out.

_**seaQuest**_

The _seaQuest_ crew managed to function properly in the absence of their captain. In addition to that, they had managed to avoid Admiral Noyce; luckily, there had been no major emergencies, so calls with Admiral Noyce weren't needed. However, the crew knew it was inevitable that they may eventually be in the position. And, of course, as expected, there was.

"Commander Ford," Tim O'Neill said, "We have a call from Admiral Noyce."

Ford sighed. "Oh no. Here we go. Put him through," he said, cringing slightly.

"Commander Ford? I expected Captain Bridger. Where is he?" Admiral Noyce demanded.

"Uh," Commander Ford began. Nathan obviously didn't let anyone, other than the crew, know where he was going because he knew Admiral Noyce wouldn't exactly approve. "He's away, Sir."

"Away?" Noyce asked, rather confused. "Why the _hell _is he away?"

Lucas, who had been on the bridge helping to repair one of the navigation computers that had been acting up, decided to help. "He went to go help Dr. Westphalen, Admiral."

Ford groaned slightly. "Lucas."

"And where is Dr. Westphalen? Will someone please tell me what the _hell _is going on?" Admiral Noyce demanded.

"Perhaps this would be better taken in private?" Ford asked.

Noyce said, "Fine, but make it snappy. Maybe you ought to bring the boy with you?"

Ford nodded. "O'Neill, transfer the call to the ward room."

"Aye, Sir."

A few brief moments later, Ford and Lucas were in the ward room. After reconnecting with Admiral Noyce, Ford began, "The captain and doctor are in an area outside of UEO jurisdiction."

"And, why wasn't I informed of this?" Noyce demanded.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't answer that. I wasn't fully aware that Captain Bridger hadn't told you."

Noyce looked at Lucas. "Is this true?"

"Yes, Sir," Lucas said.

"OK, well, I sense you two are hiding something from me. I don't care if it's under UEO jurisdiction or not, but I want to know exactly where Captain Bridger and Dr. Westphalen are," Noyce said. When he was met with brief silence, he boomed, "Now!"

Lucas jumped. "We got a distress call a week ago from an underwater facility off the coast of California, so naturally, we answered it."

Noyce nodded. "Of course."

"Well," Lucas continued, "the people we rescued had an...interesting disorder. So interesting that neither the captain nor the doctor wanted anyone outside of the crew to know."

"Disorder?" Noyce questioned.

"They were vampires, Sir; four blood-sucking, human killing vamprires," Ford confirmed.

Noyce wore a look of disbelief and shock.

"It's no joke, Sir," Lucas said. "Apparently, these vampires had been part of a government experiment known as the Pandora project. They were testing forms of biochemical warfare, starting with the form of a mutated flu virus. Well, once injected, the virus mutated again, creating vampires. Once the US government discovered what had happened, they ordered for the facility to be destroyed since the newly created vampires were..._hostile_. Well, apparently, there was a big cover-up-go figure."

"So, what does all of that have to do with the whereabouts of the doctor and captain?" Noyce asked, after a few moments of silence.

"Well, apparently, although it was thought that all the vampires were thought to have been destroyed, there were some survivors. And, apparently, one of the scientists who had worked on the original project had survived as well," Ford explained.

"OK," Noyce said. "But I still don't-"

"Dr. Westphalen and Captain Bridger are at a vampire colony known as _Savage Garden_ in Siberia," Lucas blurted out. "According to Antonio, one of the vampires we rescued, he was coerced into tricking us. They weren't in trouble after all. You see, the facility has an interesting way of choosing their victims for the consumption of human blood. I'll E-mail you the information. Well, apparently, the facility is run by a Dr. Curry aka Dr. Blood. In addition to that, Dr. Blood has a very famous but very sinister biochemist working for him-Dr. Rubin Zellar."

"Dr. Zellar is in prison," Noyce said.

"Not anymore," Ford said. "Apparently, Dr. Blood pulled some strings and got him out. So, the doctor was tricked into staying in the facility, only to be told afterwards that she was to become a victim for the vampires. So, the captain went back to help her after receiving a call from Zellar. Then, we heard the captain was in the same situation."

"So, you're telling me that the captain and doctor are being held prisoner?"

Ford nodded. "But, there's a plan, Sir. A group of us are going there, on our own time, mind you, to rescue them."

"And, what do you plan on doing once you have rescued the captain and doctor safely?" Noyce asked.

"Get them back to _seaQuest_," Lucas said, matter-of-factly.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Noyce said. "I mean, what about the facility? Are you really going to let them get away with this?"

"It's not that we'll let them get away, Sir," Ford said, "But, what exactly can we do?"

"Are you up for a vigilante mission, Commander?" Noyce asked.

"But, the UEO-" Ford started.

"Just because the UEO doesn't have jurisdiction doesn't mean the facility can't be destroyed. Besides, they're keeping a UEO captain and doctor hostage; that's a hostile action. And, that means that we can act with hostility against them. The UEO doesn't have to know since this is on your own time, understand?" Admiral Noyce said.

Ford nodded with realization. "I like the way you think, Sir. We plan to leave tomorrow. Is that enough time for you to arrange something?"

"Plenty," Noyce said.

"Wait a minute," Lucas broke in. "Do you mean we're going to destroy the facility?"

"Lucas, those creatures are malicious. If they had their way, the doctor and the captain would be _dead_."

"Not all of them are bad," Lucas retorted. "What about Antonio?"

"Antonio's hands aren't clean either, Lucas. It's for the best," Ford said.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_**seaQuest **_

The day finally arrived for a launch to take Jonathan, Katie, Chief Crocker, and Lucas upworld. They couldn't just take a _seaQuest _launch to _Savage Garden_ since this was a non-UEO vigilante mission. Therefore, the group rented a private submarine. The plan was for the team to plant various bombs around the facility, concentrating mostly on the theatre. Before they were set to leave, Jonathan wanted to check in with Admiral Noyce on the vidlink.

"Commander Ford," Noyce answered. "Are you all set?"

"That we are, Sir," Jonathan said.

"I've had what you need to carry out the plan already loaded onto the sub you've rented. I hope that's alright," Noyce said.

"That's just fine, Sir. I do have one question though. What if our plan doesn't work out?"

"What do you mean?" Noyce asked, as though the plan was absolutely foolproof. "Do you have any doubts about being able to carry it out?"

"It's not that, Sir. It's just that we don't know exactly how these vampires can be killed. What if our bombs don't do it? Then what?" Jonathan asked.

Noyce thought for a moment. Then he said, "Then I ask you to use your discretion and do what you think you need. Might I suggest you bring a back-up?"

Jonathan thought for a moment. He only knew two sure fire way that, according to vampire legends, vampires could be killed. One was a wooden stake through the heart; the other was sunlight. Weighing those options in his mind, he decided wooden stakes would be more accessible to them. "I'll do that, Sir."

"Good," Noyce said. "Then, I'll leave you to do what you need. Good luck, Commander."

"Thank you, Sir." And, with that, Jonathan cut the link.

A few hours later, the four crew members were on the launch and headed upworld.

"Now," Jonathan explained. "I've spoken with Admiral Noyce, and I've come up with a back-up plan."

"A back-up plan?" Lucas asked.

Jonathan nodded. "Yes, in case the bombs _don't _do what we want them to. We need to make sure everything to do with Savage Garden is destroyed."

Lucas was still adimant about not killing everyone, especially Antonio. "But, does that mean we have to kill innocents? Does the end justify the means?"

Katie broke in. "Lucas, let's face it. None of these GELF's are exactly innocent."

"But-"

"Look, Lucas," Jonathan said. "Do you want to save the captain and the doctor?"

"Of course I do."

"Then, that means that we have to destroy the facility, and even though Antonio _has_ started helping, even by his own admission, he knows he's wrong for bringing the doctor there in the first place," Jonathan explained.

Lucas sighed. It seemed he just couldn't win this argument. He didn't like it, but he agreed. "Alright," he said, "but only because it's for the captain and the doctor."

Katie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said, "but at least you're seeing what's more important here."

The rest of the trip was made in silence as they arrived at their destination.

Once they left the launch, Jonathan said, "We need to make one more stop."

"Where's that, Commander?" Chief Crocker asked.

"Our back-up plan. If I remember correctly, there's a sporting goods store just up the street," Jonathan explained.

The other three crew members exchanged confused glances.

"OK, Jonathan," Katie finally said, "why are we going there?"

"Crossbows," Jonathan said simply, "and wooden stakes."

A short time later, the four entered the sporting goods store and came out with four crossbows. Wooden stakes, on the other hand, were not easily found. Therefore, they bought some wooden dowels and some hunting knives. They would have to make their own. Before long, however, the four were on their way to _Savage Garden_.

_**Savage Garden**_

Once Jonathan and the others arrived at the facility, they were immediately taken to guest quarters, which was separate from the rest of the facility.

"Would we be able to see Antonio?" Jonathan asked the young man showing them to their rooms.

"I'm sorry, but he's busy until the show. Is he expecting you?"

"Well, he knows we're attending the performance," Katie explained.

"Well, if he didn't mention anything about seeing you beforehand, I don't think it can be arranged then. You see, our vampires need quiet time to reflect before a show. You understand."

"I suppose so," Jonathan said.

"Well, just a reminder, the performance starts at seven, but the house opens at five. I suggest going early to get a good seat."

"Thank you," Katie said.

With that, the man left, and they started unpacking their bags, which weren't filled with clothes, but rather, the bombs they brought in. They were small, so as not to look suspicious. Each crew member was given five each so that they could place them strategically around the theatre once inside. Then, when the time came, all Jonathan had to do was say, "Blood." The bombs were voice activated and would activate only when his voice said the word. Then, the group would have only fifteen minutes to retrieve Nathan and Kristin's bodies and get them to the safety of the sub before the place was blown to smithereens.

They changed into their theatre clothes, tuxedos for the men and an evening gown for Katie. Then, they took their bombs and hid them safely among their person; the men put theirs in their pockets while Katie placed hers in her purse.

"I suppose there's not much we can do now, but wait until five," Katie said.

"I wouldn't suppose there's any chance we can get into the theatre beforehand?" Jonathan thought out loud.

"I doubt it, Commander," Crocker said. "You heard what the young man said."

"So, after the bombs go off, how do we know that the job is, well, done?" Lucas asked.

"We're going to assume it is, unless any of them try to follow us. That's why our homemade stakes are still on the sub. Let's just hope we _don't _have to use them," Jonathan said.

**Later that Evening**

Finally, the time arrived for the theatre house to open. The four crew members expected to have the theatre to themselves and were surprised to find they didn't. In fact, the lobby was already filled with people.

After getting over his initial shock, Jonathan said, "Alright, this isn't a problem. We'll just split up and mingle. And try to be inconspicuous, got it? We'll meet inside later."

The others nodded and did as Jonathan said. And, they all managed to hide some of their bombs strategically around the lobby without being noticed.

Then, they moved onto the inside of the theatre, which was filled with even more people. However, this didn't pose a problem either, and after a while, all the bombs had been placed without any of them being noticed.

Before long, the house lights flashed, which meant it was time for the audience to take their seats since the show would start soon.

The four were able to get seats in the front row, which was even better for their cause.

Soon, the house lights dimmed completely and music began playing. Then, a small, sinister-looking man bearing a striking resemblance to Vincent Price took the stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I am Dr. Blood. Thank you for coming to our performance. So, without further adieu, I give you the children of the revolution."

The curtains parted and the stage was filled with men and women, including Nathan and Kristin. The two had to act, of course, just like the others and pretend that they wanted nothing more than to be sacrificed to the vampires. And, they were doing a very convincing job, so convincing that Lucas was alarmed. Katie noticed and took his hand in hers.

"Remember, they're just acting," she whispered to him.

The boy nodded, but the look on his face said he didn't quite believe her. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and continued to hold it as she turned her attention back to the show.

Then, Antonio and two female vampires took the stage.

Antonio spoke, "I am the one called Antonio. Who wants to be my first victim?"

With that, Kristin threw herself to the front of the crowd of victims. "Please take me," she yelled loud and clear above all the rest. "I don't think you'll be disappointed."

Antonio laughed evilly. For Jonathan, the laugh seemed equally sinister to match Dr. Blood's. For a moment, he doubted Antonio's intentions, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment.

Antonio grabbed Kristin's hand and brought him up to her. He wasted no time and he lunged and Kristin's throat and began feasting upon her blood greedily.

The four cringed in their seats, worrying Antonio _wouldn't _stop. They watched helplessly as their friend's life seemed to slip away in front of their eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter is a little long, but, I wanted it to be the last. Admittedly, I probably should have broken it into two chapters. However, I must admit to being a little obsessive compulsive; I just can't end a chapter on an odd number. Sorry, but it's just a thing I have. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. And, please tell me what you think. Thank you.**

**Chapter 20**

_**Savage Garden**_** Theatre**

Lucas began squirming nervously in his seat. Katie, who was still holding his hand, noticed. "It's OK, Lucas," she whispered, "she's not dead."

Lucas was doubtful. "How can you say that? Have you _seen _her?" The teen was becoming more distressed. The other members of the crew began to take notice as well. Each of them worried the boy would give them away.

"Lucas, just calm down," Jonathan said. "We have no reason to believe otherwise right now."

Lucas watched in disgust as the doctor's body was tossed cruelly aside as he listened to the commander's words.. If the doctor wasn't dead, she was certainly going to be hurting when she came to from the way she was thrown. Either way, Lucas _didn't_ like it. But, there wasn't much he could do; the others were right. He had to believe, and he wouldn't want to draw any unneeded attention to them either. He finally whispered, "You're right. I'm sorry."

The others nodded a forgiveness, and the group turned their attention back to the stage. Each of the vampires held a different victim and were draining them of life just as Antonio had done to Kristin. Nathan still waited at the back of the crowd for his fate, although he didn't look as upset as Lucas expected. Finally, after several victims were tossed aside, Antonio took Nathan's hand and dragged him nearer to him. There was a thunderous cheer from the crowd as Antonio opened his mouth and bared his fangs.

Lucas thought it was hard to watch the doctor in this situation, but he found it more difficult to control himself watching the life from Nathan literally be sucked out of him. How could the others be so _calm_? Didn't they say they _didn't _trust Antonio? Lucas was the only one out of them who had, but now, he wasn't so sure either. Watching him kill, or nearly kill, the two people he cared most about in the word was enough to change Lucas' mind.

After the captain's body was tossed onto the pile among the others, the rest of the show went by in a blur as the four members of the _seaQuest_ crew waited for their opportunity to claim the bodies. After patiently waiting and watching every last victim, the show ended, and the house lights came up. The others looked at Jonathan expectantly.

"We're supposed to wait here," he said, "Antonio is supposed to meet us."

"_Supposed to_," Lucas said sarcastically.

"Lucas, that's enough," Katie said gently. "Everything's going to be fine."

Lucas sighed. He didn't bother saying anything more at the moment since the rest of the audience were making so much noise that it would be pointless to try.

The audiences numbers began to dwindle, but still, there was no Antonio.

"Are you sure he said he's meet us?" Katie asked Jonathan.

"Yes, I'm sure," Jonathan said, slightly annoyed. "Why does everyone keep questioning all of a sudden."

"Because it's one thing to talk about it," Lucas said. "But it's another to actually watch it. We just don't think the captain and doctor have much time to wait...in case..."

"Look, Commander, the kid's right," Crocker broke in. "We don't have time to play around here."

Jonathan sighed. Logically, he knew the others were right. But, he wanted to believe that their plan was foolproof, that everything would work out just as it should. "Alright," he finally said, "Come with me, Crocker."

"Where are you going?" Katie asked.

"To go find Antonio so we can get the hell out of here," Jonathan said. "You two wait here." With that, he and Crocker found a door near the stage; Jonathan turned the handle and found it wasn't locked. But, as the two began wandering around, they received several strange looks from the people...or were they vampires?...that were back there.

A young woman stopped them. "Excuse me, but can I help you?"

"We're looking for Antonio; is he here?" Jonathan asked.

"You know, you're not supposed to be back here," the woman said, "but I guess I can make an exception. Antonio's back here. Follow me."

Jonathan and Crocker exchanged relieved looks, as they followed the woman, hoping to be out of _Savage Garden _soon enough.

The woman led them through the backstage area, where they continued to receive strange looks. Finally, however, they came to a room with Antonio's name across the door, obviously a dressing room. "Here you are," the young woman said. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Jonathan said, slightly confused. "Why would she wish us luck?" he wondered. He suddenly started to get an uneasy feeling as he knocked on the door.

"Come." Antonio said from the other side.

Jonathan turned the handle, and he and Crocker walked in. "Antonio? I thought you were going to come meet us? We've been waiting a while now, and-"

"And, I thought I could trust you," Antonio said bitterly, not bothering to look at them.

"What?" Jonthan asked, taken aback.

"Excuse me, Antonio, but what are you talking about?" Crocker asked.

Antonio laughed, turning to them, his blood-red eyes flashing with anger. "I suppose you didn't know that vampires become temporarily clairvoyant when they drink blood, did you? You're going to destroy the facility," he said, accusingly.

"Look, Antonio," Jonathan said, "You said yourself that this place is corrupt."

"Yes, I did," Antonio admitted. "But, did you think I meant that everyone should _die_?"

"Dr. Rubin Zellar is a horrible man," Crocker said, "He's killed thousands, possibly millions of people."

"Right, well, that's Dr. Zellar. That's _not _me; that's not _most _of us here. Really-after all I've done to help you, after all I've done to help your friends, do you really think I should _die_?" Antonio asked.

There was a moment of silence as Crocker and Jonathan tried to think of a way to explain themselves.

But, a voice from the doorway broke the silence. "Yes, _I_ do," Lucas said, holding a crossbow with one of the homemade wooden stakes pointed towards Antonio's heart. "Guess you didn't divine this, did you?"

"Lucas!" Jonathan said. "Where's Katie?"

"Don't worry, Commander. She and I already retrieved the bodies; she's with them on the sub. As far as I know, she's on the radio with _seaQuest _as we speak talking with Dr. Levin and administering first aid to the best of her abilities until we get back there." Then, Lucas added, "Now, it's time to end this." And before anyone could say anything else, he released the wooden stake into the air, and it plunged into Antonio's chest, killing him instantly.

"With that, Commander Ford said the word, "Blood." Then, he said, "Time to go, people." With that, the three ran from the dressing room, closing the door behind them. No one seemed to notice or suspect a thing.

A short time later, the three had fled from _Savage Garden _and were safely in the sub, along with Katie and the others.

"How are they?" Jonathan asked Katie as he climbed into the pilot seat.

"Well, they're _not_ dead. I guess Antonio wasn't lying after all," she said.

"Well, he still had to pay," Lucas commented.

"What?"

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Commander," he explained.

Katie nodded knowingly. Sure, none of them _wanted _anyone to die. But, the world just wasn't ready for GELF's such as these. It was something that had to be done. As the Jonathan started piloting the sub away from the mainland, a faint explosion could be heard in the background.

"I think that's the last we'll see of Zellar," Crocker said.

"Let's hope so, Chief. Let's hope so," Jonathan said.

_**seaQuest**_

After returning the sub, a _seaQuest _launch was sent for the group. By the time they returned back to _seaQuest_, it was nearly midnight. But, the point was, everyone got back-safely, for the most part. Dr. Levin had a medical team waiting for them to return. Once the launch connected with _seaQuest_, the medical team worked quickly to rush the captain and the doctor to medbay.

As for the rest of the group, Jonathan said, "Uh, Admiral Noyce is waiting for a call. Do you want to join me?"

They agreed, deciding they couldn't sleep anyway until they knew the captain and doctor were truly OK.

Admiral Noyce answered the vidscreen fairly quickly. "Commander Ford; it's a relief to finally hear from you."

"Well, we've just returned, Sir."

Bill Noyce chuckled softly. "Well, then, you haven't heard any of the news reports then. They're saying that _Savage Garden_ is completely destroyed; there were _no_ survivors."

Jonathan smiled. "Well, that's good news, Sir."

"Good work, people," Noyce congratulated them. "How are the captain and the doctor?"

"They're in medbay as we speak, Sir. Dr. Levin is giving them blood transfusions to replace what they've lost. But, he says they should make a full recovery," Katie said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. You'll keep me posted on that?"

"That we will, Sir. I'm sure the captain should be able to talk to you himself by tomorrow," Jonathan said.

"I'll look foreward to it," Noyce said. "I'll let you go, then."

"Goodnight, Sir." With that, Jonathan cut the link.

But, none of them got up to leave either. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Lucas broke the silence. "Do you think it's too early to see how Cap and the Doc are doing?"

"It doesn't hurt to check," Katie said. "Let's go."

A short time later, the four friends were in medbay, hoping to hear some news about their beloved captain and doctor. Luckily, they found Dr. Levin in his office.

"I thought you all would have gone to bed. What can I do for you?" Levin asked.

"We were wondering on the status of the captain and doctor," Lucas said.

"I know you're all worried," Levin said, "but you don't need to be. I've completed the transfusions, and they're both resting. I promise they'll be awake in the morning. Now, it won't do anyone any good to sit up all night worrying, so I suggest you all get some sleep. I promise you can see them in the morning," Levin said with a slight lecture tone.

So, there wasn't much else they could do but to listen to what the doctor said. They reluctantly headed to their own rooms and did get some sleep.

**The Next Morning**

Nathan awoke to Dr. Levin checking his vitals.

"Oh, nice of you to join us, Captain," Levin said, trying to joke.

Nathan would have laughed, but his head was killing him.

"Not in the mood?" Levin asked. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I suppose I'm fine, considering; I just have a horrible headache," Nathan admitted.

"That's to be expected. I'll get you some pain medication. But, you should be out of here by this afternoon. How does that sound?"

"Great, I suppose," Nathan said. "But, I suppose I can't work anytime soon?"

"Well, I'd like you and Kristin to take the week off to fully recuperate, with lots of rest. But, there's no reason you two need to stay in medbay the whole time," Levin explained.

"Kristin?" Nathan said in alarm. "How is she?"

"Calm down, Captain. She's fine, but still asleep."

"As soon as she wakes up, can I see her?" Nathan asked hopefully.

Levin thought for a moment. "I can have her bed moved in here. Is that alright?"

Nathan nodded. "It would be greatly appreciated."

So, Kristin's bed was moved into Nathan's room. She was still sleeping, as Dr. Levin had said, but Nathan was pleased to know that he would be the first person she saw when she woke up. "I'll come check to see if she's woken up in about a half an hour," Levin said. "By then, I'm sure you'll have visitors," Levin explained.

"Visitors?" Nathan said.

"Yes, there are a lot of people waiting to see you two. We've all been worried," Levin said. Then he added, "It's good to have you back, Captain."

"Thank you," Nathan said sincerely.

Levin flashed him a smile and left the room.

Nathan turned onto his side and watched the woman in the bed next to his sleeping. He was just so happy that she was alive and well, and he was glad to be the same.

A short time later, Kristin's eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," Nathan said to her.

"Hi," she replied quietly.

Kristin immediately placed a hand to her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Nathan asked.

"Well, except for the fact that my head feels like someone is using it as a bongo drum, I'm fine," Kristin said.

Nathan laughed lightly. "Dr. Levin says it's normal. He'll be back in here soon; he'll bring you some pain medication."

"Oh, wonderful," Kristin said gratefully. Then a thought came to her. "So, why are we in the same room together?"

"Don't you like it? Being a captain has it's advantages, you know," he quipped. "And, guess what? We have the whole week off to recuperate."

Kristin groaned. "I'll go mad."

"Hey, you'll have me," Nathan reminded her. Then, he added, "That is, if you still _want_ me."

"Nathan Hale Bridger, of course I still _want_ you. You practically _died_ for me. In fact, it should be_ me_ asking _you_ if you still want _me_, after the way I treated you," Kristin replied.

Nathan reached over and took her hand in his and gave it a gentle kiss. "Kristin, Honey, I love you, and I always will. Besides, I don't blame you."

"I love you too, Nathan. I guess we'll have a whole week to reconnect, hm?" Kristin said. suggestively.

"Oh, yeah," Nathan said.

**The End**


End file.
